估计全球3％人口已感染丙型肝炎病毒（HCV），这意味着有1.7亿以上慢性携带者处于发展成为肝硬化或肝癌的危险之中。为了预防和控制HCV，必需了解其流行特征。丙型肝炎流行率如此之高，说明有必要进行全球性监测，以便确定特殊的保健措施。表1显示1997年8月之前全球13o个国家或 It is estimated that 3% of the world’s population is already infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which means more than 170 million chronic carriers are at risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer. In order to prevent and control HCV, it is necessary to know its epidemiological characteristics. The high prevalence of hepatitis C indicates the need for global monitoring in order to identify specific health-care measures. Table 1 shows the world’s 13o countries or by August 1997