The report on the burden of infectious disease points to the importance of prevention, such as hand washing, to avoid spreading infections. (CBC)

Infectious diseases like hepatitis C kill nearly 5,000 people in Ontario each year but often fall under the radar, a new report suggests.

The Ontario Burden of Infectious Diseases Study looked at the toll that infectious diseases take both in terms of mortality, or dying before ideal life expectancy, and disability that hampers quality of life compared with being in perfect health.

The Top 10 infectious diseases are:

• Hepatitis C virus.
• Streptococcus pneumoniae.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV).
• Hepatitis B virus.
• E. coli, such as urinary tract infections.
• HIV/AIDS.
• Staphylococcus aureus.
• Seasonal influenza.
• C. difficile.
• Rhinoviruses (common cold).

Overall, the burden from all infectious diseases is about one-quarter of that of all cancers combined, said study author Dr. Jeff Kwong, a scientist at Toronto's Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

It is the first time that a study like this has been done in Canada or in this depth worldwide, said Kwong.

"Infectious diseases are still killing and causing illness in quite a lot of people in Ontario every year. We found that they kill nearly 5,000 Ontarians every year, representing about six per cent of all deaths," Kwong said.

Life-shortening

He said there some surprises, such as hepatitis C coming out on top. The infection didn't cause the most deaths but its ranking increased because people often die at younger ages compared with infections like pneumonia.

People infected with hepatitis B and hepatitis C often develop liver cancer, which also has a serious impact, he noted.

At the other end of the list, so many people get colds that they all add up.

The findings point to the importance of prevention, such as getting vaccinated when possible, hand washing to avoid spreading infections, and practising safe sex to avoid sexually transmitted infections like HIV, Kwong said.

Study co-author Dr. Natasha Crowcroft, director of surveillance and epidemiology at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, suggest areas to improve, including:

• Concentrating on existing immunization programs, such as for HPV to prevent cervical cancer.
• Increasing screening and access to treatment for hepatitis B and C.
• Developing new ways to fight infectious diseases.

The report did not look at outbreaks such as SARS or the H1N1 pandemic.

The findings would likely be similar in other provinces, the researchers said.