Virushepatitis-Surveillance in Niedersachsen zur Erhebung von Risikofaktoren: Ergebnisse und Erfahrungen aus einem ÖGD-Regionalprojekt 1999-2001

In Lower Saxony, a regional public health project for an enlarged surveillance of viral hepatitis was carried out from 1999 to 2001. Five district public health authorities collected additional information on notified viral hepatitis cases in a standardised way, particularly regarding risk factors. In the survey, 270 hepatitis (hep.) cases were investigated, among them hep. A 51 (18.9%), hep. B 87 (32.2%) and hep. C 132 (48.9%). The proportion of chronic cases and healthy carriers was as follows: hep. A 0%, hep. B 47.1% and hep. C 79.5%. In approximately 50% of the cases of all three forms risk factors could be identified. The most frequent risk factors were in hep. A visits to foreign countries (29.4%), contacts to infected individuals (17.6%) and attendance at public institutions or care facilities (13.7%), in hep. B visits to foreign countries (24.1%), contacts to infected individuals (19.5%; sexual contacts 16.1%) and medical treatments (19.5%) and in hep. C injecting drug use (31.1%) and medical treatments (18.2%; 9.8% blood transfusion in the past in combination with chronic hep. C). The results are in accordance with current data under the new infection protection law, where reporting of chronic cases was mostly abolished. In the survey, the well-known risk factors were confirmed, but some risks were reported more frequently than in other surveys, e. g. sexual behaviour for hep. B or injecting drugs for hep. C.