Table 3. Estimated anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies prevalence for the general population and key populations, Canada, 2021.
| Population | Population size estimate | Prevalence (%) | Estimated number of people with current or past HCV infection | Reference(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point estimate | Lower bound | Upper bound | Point estimate | Lower bound | Upper bound | |||
| General population | 38,239,864 | 0.99% | 0.68% | 1.3% | 378,000 | 258,000 | 497,000 | ((12,21,29–31)) Unpublished data from PHAC, 2021 (this study) |
| PWID, within 12 months | 100,300 | 64.2% | 36.7% | 91.8% | 64,400 | 36,800 | 92,100 | ((32–35)) Unpublished data from the Virtual Cascade of Care Cohort study, 2018–2019 (personal communication, Stine Høj, 2023) Unpublished data from the HEPCO study, 2022–2023 (personal communication, Sarah Larney, 2024) |
| People who have ever injected drugs | 388,400 | 35.4% | 9.3% | 61.5% | 137,000 | 36,100 | 239,000 | ((21,33,35–37)) Unpublished data from the Virtual Cascade of Care Cohort study, 2018–2019 (personal communication, Stine Høj, 2023) |
| People incarcerated in provincial prisonsa | 18,950 | 14.2% | 9.5% | 19.0% | 2,700 | 1,790 | 3,600 | ((38–41)) Unpublished data from Alberta Health Services, 2023 (personal communication, Kaylee Goralcyk, 2024) |
| People incarcerated in federal prisonsb | 12,405 | 11.1% | 10.2% | 12.0% | 1,370 | 1,260 | 1,490 | Unpublished data from Correctional Service Canada, 2021 (personal communication, 2024) |
| First Nations | 1,048,400 | 8.0% | 3.5% | 12.5% | 84,000 | 36,600 | 131,000 | ((42–44)) Unpublished data from the CHMS, Statistics Canada, 2014–2015 |
| Immigrants from countries where hepatitis C is common (≥2% seroprevalence) | 1,276,405 | 4.0% | 2.9% | 6.7% | 51,500 | 36,700 | 85,300 | ((25)) |
| GBMSM | 669,613 | 3.0% | 0.82% | 5.2% | 20,100 | 5,490 | 34,800 | ((27,45,46)) Unpublished data from the Engage cohort study, 2017–2019 |
| Adults in the 1945–1975 birth cohort | 14,267,340 | 1.9% | 1.1% | 2.7% | 270,000 | 157,000 | 383,000 | ((12,21,29–31,36,47)) Unpublished data from PHAC, 2021 (this study) |
| Inuit | Insufficient information | |||||||
| Métis | Insufficient information | |||||||
Abbreviations: CHMS, Canadian Health Measures Survey; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HEPCO, Hepatitis Cohort; GBMSM, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men; PHAC, Public Health Agency of Canada; PWID, people who inject drugs
a Who were sentenced for two years or more
b Who were sentenced for less than two years