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Number of reported cases* of acute hepatitis C virus infection and estimated infections† — United States, 2013-2020
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Source: CDC, National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System.
* Reported confirmed cases. For the case definition, see Acute Hepatitis C.
† The number of estimated viral hepatitis infections was determined by multiplying the number of reported cases that met the classification criteria for a confirmed case by a factor that adjusted for underascertainment and underreporting. The 95% bootstrap confidence intervals for the estimated number of infections are displayed in the Appendix.
The number of acute hepatitis C cases reported in the United States increased every year during 2013–2020. During 2020, a total of 4,798 acute cases were reported, corresponding to 66,700 estimated infections after adjusting for case underascertainment and underreporting. The number of cases reported during 2020 corresponded to a 16% increase from the 4,136 cases reported during 2019, and a 124% increase from the 2,138 cases reported during 2013.
While the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare access and reduced the number of persons tested for hepatitis C virus infection, the anticipated reductions in the number of reported acute hepatitis C cases was likely offset by a change to the acute hepatitis C case definition in 2020. The new case definition was designed to better characterize cases classified as acute hepatitis C (see Technical Notes/Case Definitions).
This model has not been recalibrated to account for the change in the acute hepatitis C case definition that occurred in 2020, and as such estimated infections of acute hepatitis C generated for 2020 may require revision in the future. Work is underway to update the multipliers for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C using updated literature.
- Figure 3.1. Number of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection and estimated infections — United States, 2013-2020
- Figure 3.2. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2019-2020
- Figure 3.3. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2020
- Figure 3.4. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by age group — United States, 2005-2020
- Figure 3.5. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by sex — United States, 2005-2020
- Figure 3.6. Rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by race/ethnicity — United States, 2005-2020
- Figure 3.7. Availability of information on risk behaviors or exposures associated with reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection — United States, 2020
- Figure 3.8. Number of newly reported chronic hepatitis C virus infection cases by sex and age — United States, 2020
- Figure 3.9. Rates of death with hepatitis C virus infection listed as a cause of death among residents, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2020
- Table 3.1. Numbers and rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2016-2020
- Table 3.2. Numbers and rates of reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection, by demographic characteristics — United States 2016-2020
- Table 3.3. Reported risk behaviors or exposures among reported cases of acute hepatitis C virus infection — United States, 2020
- Table 3.4. Number of newly reported cases of perinatal hepatitis C virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2020
- Table 3.5. Number and rate of newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2020
- Table 3.6. Number and rate of newly reported cases of chronic hepatitis C virus infection, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2020
- Table 3.7. Numbers and rates of deaths with hepatitis C listed as a cause of death among residents, by state or jurisdiction — United States, 2016-2020
- Table 3.8. Numbers and rates of deaths with hepatitis C virus infection listed as a cause of death among residents, by demographic characteristics — United States, 2016-2020
Source:
- Klevens RM, Liu, S, Roberts H, et al. Estimating acute viral hepatitis infections from nationally reported cases. Am J Public Health 2014; 104:482. PMC3953761.