Hepatitis C in Canada: 2019 surveillance data

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Hepatitis C:

• In 2019, there were 11,441 hepatitis C cases reported for a rate of 30.4 per 100,000 people. Of these, there were:
  • 2,980 chronic cases for a rate of 27.3 per 100,000 people
  • 356 acute^{Footnote 1} cases for a rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people
  • 8,105 unspecified cases for a rate of 24.9 per 100,0000 people
• From 2015 to 2018, the total reported cases of hepatitis C increased
• From 2018 to 2019, the total reported cases decreased by 10%

Hepatitis C by sex and age groups

• In 2019, 61% of reported hepatitis C cases were male
• In 2019, the rate of hepatitis C among males was 37.4 per 100,000 males and among females was 23.2 per 100,000 females
• In 2019, among males, those aged 25 to 39 had the highest rates of hepatitis C
• In 2019, among females, those aged 25 to 39 had the highest rates of hepatitis C
• From 2015 to 2019, total hepatitis C rates were consistently higher for males than females
• From 2015 to 2018, among males, the rate of hepatitis C increased
• From 2018 to 2019, among males, the rate of hepatitis C decreased by 10%
• From 2015 to 2018, among females, the rate of hepatitis C increased
• From 2018 to 2019, among females, the rate of hepatitis C decreased by 11%

Rate of total hepatitis C by province and territory

From 2018 to 2019, total hepatitis C rates declined in nine provinces and territories. This decline ranged from -4% to -40%.

• In Nova Scotia, between 2018 and 2019, hepatitis C rates remained stable
• In Prince Edward Island, between 2018 and 2019, hepatitis C rates increased by 15%
• Rate changes were not reported for the Northwest Territories or Nunavut since there were five or fewer hepatitis C cases reported in 2019

In 2019, the national rate of total hepatitis C was 30.4 per 100,000 people. Provinces and territories that had rates of total hepatitis C above the national rate included:

• Manitoba (55.6 per 100,000 people)
• Saskatchewan (52.5 per 100,000 people)
• Newfoundland and Labrador (42.8 per 100,0000 people)
• British Columbia (37.7 per 100,000 people)
• Nova Scotia (36.1 per 100,000 people)
• Yukon (33.8 per 100,000 people)
• Ontario (33.2 per 100,000 people)
• Prince Edward Island (33.1 per 100,000 people)
• New Brunswick (32.7 per 100,000 people)

In 2019, in Alberta, the rate of total hepatitis C was 30.4 per 100,000 people. This matched the national rate of total hepatitis C.

In 2019, provinces and territories with rates of total hepatitis C below the national rate of 30.4 per 100,000 people included:

• Quebec (12.8 per 100,000 people)
• Northwest Territories (11.1 per 100,000 people)
• Nunavut (5.2 per 100,000 people)

Appendix A: Data tables corresponding to hepatitis C figures

Table 1: Cases and rates of reported hepatitis C, overall and by infection status, 2019

Hepatitis C infection status	Number of cases	Rate per 100,000 population
Total	11,441	30.4
Chronic	2,980	27.3
AcuteTable 1 Footnote *	356	1.8
Unspecified	8,105	24.9
Table 1 Footnote * Acute hepatitis C status was not reported by New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. Return to Table 1 footnote * referrer

Table 2: Reported total hepatitis C rates overall and by sex, 2015 to 2019

Year	Total rate per 100,000 population	Male rate per 100,000 population	Female rate per 100,000 population
2015	30.6	38.2	22.7
2016	31.4	39.5	23.3
2017	32.4	39.8	24.8
2018	33.9	41.6	26.0
2019	30.4	37.4	23.2

Table 3: Provincial and territorial total hepatitis C rates, 2019

Jurisdiction	Rate per 100,000 population
Canada	30.4
British Columbia	37.7
Alberta	30.4
Saskatchewan	52.5
Manitoba	55.6
Ontario	33.2
Quebec	12.8
Newfoundland and Labrador	42.8
Prince Edward Island	33.1
Nova Scotia	36.1
New Brunswick	32.7
Yukon	33.8
Northwest Territories	11.1
Nunavut	5.2

Footnote