Figure 1: Acute HCV infection reported through EHSSS declined from a rate of 2.5 per 100,000 in 2004 to 1.6 per 100,000 in 2006. Since then, there has been a reversal of the downward trend, the preliminary reported incidence rate being 2.2 per 100,000 in 2008. The rate of acute HCV infection is higher among males than females. The gender difference in reported rates has decreased over time.