Since 2002, surveillance of hepatitis E by the National Reference Center (NRC) has revealed an increase in the number of people tested and in the number of locally acquired cases. The increase in the number of diagnosed locally acquired cases could be due to an actual rise in the number of cases. However, it appears to be primarily linked to clinicians’ more frequent use of a hepatitis E diagnosis, as evidenced by the increase in the number of samples received by the NRC without a corresponding increase in the proportion of diagnosed cases among those tested.

Between 2011 and 2013, a significant increase (10-fold) in the number of patients tested was observed. The reasons for this could be, on the one hand, the appointment of a new CNR with a network of laboratories different from that of the previous CNR and, on the other hand, the availability and increased use of commercial tests for the diagnosis of acute infection.

Table 1 distinguishes imported cases of acute hepatitis E (stay in an endemic area within 3 months prior to diagnosis) from autochthonous cases or those with an unspecified epidemiological context.

Diagnosed autochthonous cases of hepatitis E are predominantly men, with an average age of over 55 years. Diagnosed cases reside in all metropolitan regions but are predominantly found in the south. Genotype 3f is the predominant circulating genotype (Table 2).

Table 1 - Number of patients tested and number of acute hepatitis E cases diagnosed annually by the CNR, France, 2002–2013

*Number, **number - Source: http://www.cnrvha-vhe.org)

Table 2 - Characteristics of indigenous cases diagnosed by the CNR, France, 2002–2013

^aAquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: region of residence of the patient or the collecting laboratory, ^bnot documented, ^cpercentages calculated for the combined years 2006–2008Source: http://www.cnrvha-vhe.org