Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Incidence and risk factors for newly acquired hepatitis C virus infection among Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal Canadians in six regions, 1999–2004

  • Article
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare hepatitis C virus (HCV) incidence and recent patterns of transmission within Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Cases of newly acquired HCV infection (in patients ≥15 years) reported to the Enhanced Hepatitis Strain Surveillance System from six jurisdictions in Canada were analyzed. Information on demographic and clinical characteristics as well as risk factors for HCV infection was collected using standardized questionnaires. Univariate analysis showed Aboriginal patients to be significantly more likely than non-Aboriginal patients to report injection drug use (77.1% vs. 64.0%; p < 0.05), to be female (54.6% vs. 37.6%; p < 0.05), to report high-risk sexual behaviors (48.6% vs. 34.1%, p < 0.05), and to report drug snorting (45.7% vs. 32.7%, p < 0.05). The median age of Aboriginal patients was significantly younger than that of non-Aboriginal patients (31 years [range, 15–71] vs. 34 years [range, 15–81]; p < 0.05). The overall incidence of HCV infection per 100,000 people aged 15 years and older was 18.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 15.5–23.1) in Aboriginal people and 2.8 (95%CI 2.6–3.1) in non-Aboriginal people. Poisson regression analysis revealed that Aboriginal Canadians were more likely than non-Aboriginal Canadians to develop acute hepatitis C (adjusted rate ratio 5.8, 95%CI 4.7–7.3). An appropriate and effective public health strategy that includes planned and implemented prevention programs in partnership with the Aboriginal community is needed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shepard CW, Finelli L, Alter MJ (2005) Global epidemiology of hepatitis C virus infection. Lancet Infect Dis 5:558–567

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. World Health Organization (1999) Hepatitis C—global prevalence (update). Wkly Epidemiol Rec 74:425–427

    Google Scholar 

  3. Wong T, Lee SS (2006) Hepatitis C: a review for primary care physicians. CMAJ 174:649–659

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Zou S, Zhang J, Tepper M et al (2001) Enhanced surveillance of acute hepatitis B and C in four regions in Canada, 1998 to 1999. Can J Infect Dis 12:357–363

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gully PR, Tepper ML (1997) Hepatitis C. CMAJ 156:1427–1430

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Patrick DM, Tyndall MW, Cornelisse PG, Li K, Sherlock CH, Rekart ML, Strathdee SA, Currie SL, Schechter MT, O’Shaughnessy MV (2001) Incidence of hepatitis C virus infection among injection drug users during an outbreak of HIV infection. CMAJ 165:889–895

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Goldberg D, Anderson E (2004) Hepatitis C: who is at risk and how do we identify them? J Viral Hepatitis 11(Suppl 1):12–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Alter MJ (1999) Hepatitis C virus infection in the United States. J Hepatol 31(Suppl 1):88–91

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Waldram JB, Herring DA, Young TK (1995) Aboriginal health in Canada: historical, cultural, and epidemiological perspectives. University of Toronto, Toronto, pp 1–9

    Google Scholar 

  10. Craib KJ, Spittal PM, Wood E, Laliberte N, Hogg RS, Li K, Heath K, Tyndall MW, O’Shaughnessy MV, Schechter MT (2003) Risk factors for elevated HIV incidence among Aboriginal injection drug users in Vancouver. CMAJ 168:19–24

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Public Health Agency of Canada (2004) HIV/AIDS among Aboriginal persons in Canada: a continuing concern. http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/epiu-aepi/epi_update_may_04/9_e.html. Cited May 2005

  12. Wu HX, Andonov A, Giulivi A, Goedhuis NJ, Baptiste B, Furseth J, Poliquin D, Chan JI, Bolesnikov G, Moffat B, Paton S, Wu J (2005) Enhanced surveillance for childhood hepatitis B virus infection in Canada, 1999–2003. Int J Med Sci 2:143–146

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Villano SA, Vlahov D, Nelson KE, Cohn S, Thomas DL (1999) Persistence of viremia and the importance of long-term follow-up after acute hepatitis C infection. Hepatology 29:908–914

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Minuk GY, Uhanova J (2003) Viral hepatitis in the Canadian Inuit and First Nations populations. Can J Gastroenterol 17:707–712

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Bowker SL, Soskolne CL, Houston SC, Newman SC, Jhangri GS (2004) Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a northern Alberta population. Can J Public Health 95:188–192

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Howard G, Anderson RT, Russell G, Howard VJ, Burke GL (2000) Race, socioeconomic status, and cause-specific mortality. Ann Epidemiol 10:214–223

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Nyamathi AM, Christiani A, Windokun F, Jones T, Strehlow A, Shoptaw S (2005) Hepatitis C virus infection, substance use and mental illness among homeless youth: a review. AIDS 19(Suppl 3):34–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Fischer B, Rehm J, Brissette S, Brochu S, Bruneau J, El-Guebaly N, Noel L, Tyndall M, Wild C, Mun P, Baliunas D (2005) Illicit opioid use in Canada: comparing social, health, and drug use characteristics of untreated users in five cities (OPICAN study). J Urban Health 82:250–266

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Adelson N (2005) The embodiment of inequity: health disparities in Aboriginal Canada. Can J Public Health 96(Suppl 2):45–61

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hagan H, Thiede H, Weiss NS, Hopkins SG, Duchin JS, Alexander ER (2001) Sharing of drug preparation equipment as a risk factor for hepatitis C. Am J Public Health 91:42–46

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wiegand J, Buggisch P, Boecher W, Zeuzem S, Gelbmann CM, Berg T, Kauffmann W, Kallinowski B, Cornberg M, Jaeckel E, Wedemeyer H, Manns MP; German HEP-NET Acute HCV Study Group (2006) Early monotherapy with pegylated interferon alpha-2b for acute hepatitis C infection: the HEP-NET Acute-HCV-II Study. Hepatology 43:250–256

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kamal SM, Fouly AE, Kamel RR Hockenjos B, Al Tawil A, Khalifa KE, He Q, Koziel MJ, El Naggar KM, Rasenack J, Afdhal NH (2006) Peginterferon alfa-2b therapy in acute hepatitis C: impact of onset of therapy on sustained virologic response. Gastroenterology 130:632–638

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Zhiyong Hong for his epidemiologic expertise, Marina Kanabe for administrative support, and Nick Karitsiotis for IT support. We are indebted to all the participants, without whom this study would not have been possible. Site investigators of the Enhanced Hepatitis Strain Surveillance System Team consisted of J. Ip-Chan, Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver, BC, Canada; B. Baptiste, Capital Health, Edmonton, AB, Canada; J. Furseth, Calgary Health Region, Calgary, AB, Canada; D. Poliquin, City of Ottawa, Public Health and Long Term Care Branch, Ottawa, ON, Canada; G. Bolesnikov, Department of Health and Wellness, NB, Canada; and B. Moffat, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), BC, Canada.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is acknowledged for financial support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Blood Safety Surveillance and Health Care Acquired Infection Division, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    H.-X. Wu, J. Wu, Q. Li & S. Paton

  2. Community Acquired Infections Division, Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    T. Wong, K. Dinner & T. Donaldson

  3. National Microbiology Laboratory, Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    A. Andonov

Authors
  1. H.-X. Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Wong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Andonov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Q. Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. K. Dinner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. T. Donaldson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. S. Paton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Consortia

Enhanced Hepatitis Strain Surveillance System (c/o Ms. Marlene Huard, Executive Assistant)

Corresponding author

Correspondence to H.-X. Wu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wu, HX., Wu, J., Wong, T. et al. Incidence and risk factors for newly acquired hepatitis C virus infection among Aboriginal versus non-Aboriginal Canadians in six regions, 1999–2004. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 26, 167–174 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0267-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-007-0267-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation