Abstract
In countries maintaining national hepatitis C virus (HCV) surveillance systems, a substantial proportion of individuals report no risk factors for infection. Our goal was to estimate the proportion of diagnosed HCV antibody-positive persons in Scotland (1991-2010) who probably acquired infection through injecting drug use (IDU), by combining data on IDU risk from four linked data sources using log-linear capture-recapture methods. Of 25,521 HCV-diagnosed individuals, 14,836 (58%) reported IDU risk with their HCV diagnosis. Log-linear modelling estimated a further 2484 HCV-diagnosed individuals with IDU risk, giving an estimated prevalence of 83. Stratified analyses indicated variation across birth cohort, with estimated prevalence as low as 49% in persons born before 1960 and greater than 90% for those born since 1960. These findings provide public-health professionals with a more complete profile of Scotland's HCV-infected population in terms of transmission route, which is essential for targeting educational, prevention and treatment interventions.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 200-207 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Epidemiology and Infection |
Volume | 142 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jan 2014 |
Keywords
- hepatitis C
- HCV
- drug users
- virus transmission