Latvia is an EU hepatitis blackspot

On the one hand, hepatitis deaths across the continent have fallen considerably in recent years, but on the other hand, Latvia still has the second-highest rate of per capita hepatitis deaths in the whole of the European Union. In 2023, there were 3 172 deaths from viral hepatitis in the EU, the lowest figure recorded since the data collection started in 2011. This represents a 9.3% decrease compared with 2022 (3 499), and a 53.7% drop since 2013 (6 856). The disease disproportionately affects men, who accounted for 58.3% of all viral hepatitis deaths. It affected both the elderly and the working age population. People under the age of 65 accounted for 35.7% of hepatitis-related fatalities, compared with 14.8% among deaths from all causes. At the EU level, viral hepatitis caused 0.64 deaths per 100 000 people in 2023. The highest standardised death rates were recorded in Italy (1.62 deaths per 100 000 people), Latvia (1.54) and Austria (1.02). The lowest rates were in Luxembourg (no recorded deaths from hepatitis in 2023), Finland (0.07) and Slovenia (0.13). Looking at the regional data, 15 regions recorded at least 1.5 deaths from viral hepatitis per 100 000 inhabitants: 10 regions in Italy, 2 in France and 1 in Austria, Romania and Latvia (the whole country is considered as 1 region at this level of analysis).