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Between 2013 and 2020, the number of hepatitis C infections was on average much higher in the Brussels region than in the other provinces of the country. This conclusion is apparent from figures from the competent health ministers Alain Maron and Elke Van den Brandt.
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jvhSource: BELGIAN
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Between 2013 and 2020, according to figures from the website Epistat, 2,387 cases of hepatitis C were recorded in Brussels. On average, that amounts to 341 cases per year. Most infections with hepatitis C can be found in the age group of 50 to 60 years.
Compared to the other provinces of the country, the cases of hepatitis C are very high in the capital. Looking at the number of infections per 100,000 inhabitants between 2013 and 2020, there were 213.4 cases in Brussels. Almost twice as many as the closest pursuer Antwerp, with 117.14 infections per 100,000 inhabitants. This is followed by West Flanders (91.12) and East Flanders (85.39). The lowest figure is recorded in Namur, with only 9.23 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.
“Hepatitis C is a relatively recent disease, but no less dangerous. Especially in the Brussels region, where the number of infections is relatively high compared to the rest of the country. We have to be vigilant about that,” says Brussels Member of Parliament Bianca Debaets, who requested the figures.
The risk groups for hepatitis C are people in precarious situations, such as migrants from endemic countries, prisoners and drug users. One explanation may be that these risk groups are more prominent in a metropolitan context.
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