Primarily transmitted through pork or game meat, hepatitis E slowly reveals its secrets.

It is considered the most common cause of acute hepatitis and jaundice worldwide. However, hepatitis E is not only much less known than its cousins ​​hepatitis A, B and C, but it also often goes under the radar. Although harmless in most cases, it happens that severe forms develop, including in people without known risk factors, as revealed by a study conducted by Swiss researchers and published in the journal in December. Hepatology.

But first, let’s set the context: in Switzerland, according to a seroprevalence study (which analyzes the presence of specific antibodies in the blood) conducted between 1997, one in five people (20.4%) is infected with the hepatitis E virus (HEV). and 2016. In some different districts of the Canton of Ticino, this figure rises to 60%, and in the southwest of France to 86.4%!