ORiginal Article

Abstract

Background/Aims: In Korea, hepatitis C is included as an in-fectious disease in a sentinel surveillance system. Recently, a large variation in hepatitis C incidence between different regions in Korea has been noticed. The current study verified the nationwide distribution of hepatitis C infection for effec-tive prevention and management. Methods: We counted the number of hepatitis C patients who visited a hospital per county using the National Health Insurance database from 2007 to 2011. The age-adjusted prevalence ratio was used, and the age adjustment method was used as an indi-rect standardization method. Disease mapping and spatial analysis were conducted using a geographic information system. Results: The annual prevalence of diagnosed hepa-titis C was approximately 0.12 % to 0.13 % in Korea. The age-adjusted prevalence ratios in Busan, Jeonnam, and Gyeong