EU agency urges Europeans to test for hepatitis

Around 50,000 new cases of hepatitis B and C are reported in Europe every year, a EU health agency warned on Monday, while hepatitis A is considered a "re-emerging health threat" in Europe.

Over 1,000 patients had been hospitalized by the latest hepatitis A outbreak after eating frozen or fresh berries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said. The agency urged Europeans to test themselves more frequently.

"In Europe, an estimated 10 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B and C but most of these individuals do not know of their infection," the agency's acting director Andrea Ammon said on the occasion of World Hepatitis Day.

"A quick blood test helps to check if you are infected or not. Especially those most at-risk for hepatitis should have easy access to testing, for example men who have sex with men or people who inject drugs," she added.

A total of 378,000 cases of hepatitis B and C were detected in Europe between 2006 and 2013.

While hepatitis C can be cured, vaccinations are the most effective protection against hepatitis A and B, the ECDC said.

Vaccinations had nearly halved the number of acute cases of hepatitis B, from 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2006 to 0.7 in 2013, the agency said.

Hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver, is most commonly caused by a viral infection from contaminated food or infected blood or body fluids.

The ECDC, headquartered in the Swedish capital since 2005, works with health authorities across Europe to fight infectious diseases. Endit