Hepatitis A in France. Epidemiological data for 2008.
In 2008, 1,204 cases of hepatitis were reported (1,179 in mainland France, 25 in the overseas departments). For mainland France, the annual incidence rate of reported cases was 1.9 per 100,000. The annual incidence rate among men was nearly double that of women (2.4 per 100,000 vs. 1.4 per 100,000).
As in 2007 and 2008, the two main risk factors were the presence of hepatitis A cases in the immediate social circle (46%) and a trip outside mainland France within 2 to 6 weeks before the onset of the disease (44%).
The primary objective of hepatitis A surveillance is the detection of clusters at the departmental level in order to rapidly implement control measures. In 2008, 34% of reported cases were part of a cluster investigated by the Departmental Directorates of Health and Social Affairs. As in previous years, clusters occurred in schools and in facilities for children with disabilities. The key events for 2008 were a community outbreak in the Nord department and the occurrence of cases among travelers returning from Egypt who had taken a cruise on the Nile and were residing in several metropolitan departments and other European countries (Eurosurveillance, Volume 14, Issue 3, January 22, 2009). Starting in May 2008, an investigation into an excess of hepatitis A cases in Paris among men aged 18 and older concluded that this excess of cases affected the male homosexual population.
