Hepatitis A - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2017

In 2017, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 26 294 cases of hepatitis A, 26 149 (99.4%) of which were confirmed. The EU/EEA notification rate was 5.1 cases per 100 000 population, more than double the average of the previous four years’ notification rate. Except Cyprus, Denmark, Finland and Norway, all EU/EEA countries had rates over one confirmed case per 100 000 population. Countries with the highest notification rates were Slovakia (12.6), Romania (16.1) and Bulgaria (35.3).

In 2017, both the number of reported cases and the notification rates were the highest reported since published TESSy data are available. Adult males between 25 and 44 years of age were the population group with the highest notification rate (12 cases per 100 000 population). Year 2017 was characterised by an unprecedented large and prolonged outbreak disproportionally affecting men who have sex with men associated with three simultaneously circulating hepatitis A virus (HAV) of sub-genotype IA.