       Document 0180
 DOCN  M9640180
 TI    Epidemiology and prevention of hepatitis type C in Italy.
 DT    9604
 AU    Zanetti AR; Tanzi E; Romano L; Mele A; Istituto di Virologia, Universita
       di Milano, Italia.
 SO    Res Virol. 1995 Jul-Aug;146(4):253-9. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96050174
 AB    Viral hepatitis type C is of public health importance in all parts of
       the world. In Italy, hepatitis C accounts for approximately 18% of the
       annually reported cases of acute viral hepatitis. The national rate of
       acute non-A, non-B hepatitis (the majority of which are hepatitis C) has
       significantly decreased during the last decades. At present, the onset
       of the disease occurs more frequently in individuals 15-24 years old, in
       men more frequently than in women and in persons living in the south of
       the country. During the last 5 years the rate of transfusion-associated
       hepatitis C has dropped (4.8 cases per 1,000,000 in 1989 versus 0.4 per
       1,000,000 in 1993), while the percentage of patients who are intravenous
       drug abusers (IVDA) has increased from 18% to 33%. The high prevalence
       of anti-HCV (hepatitis C virus) antibody in blood and blood products
       recipients, IVDA and health-care workers with occupational exposure to
       blood indicates that HCV is efficiently transmitted parenterally. Data
       concerning transmission of HCV from mother to infant or by
       person-to-person contact, either by sexual or by non-sexual household
       contact, are controversial. However, there is almost universal agreement
       that the presence of concurrent infection with HCV and human
       immunodeficiency virus enhances the rate of vertical/perinatal HCV
       transmission as well as transmission through sexual and other types of
       person-to-person contact.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 DE    Disease Transmission, Vertical  Female  Hepatitis
       C/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION  Human
       Italy/EPIDEMIOLOGY  Male  Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral  JOURNAL
       ARTICLE  REVIEW  REVIEW, TUTORIAL

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

