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Hepatitis C Surveillance in South Australia

Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/10/00 - 31/12/00

In the fourth quarter of 2000, 295 medical notifications of hepatitis C infection were received for 177 (60%) males and 118 (40%) females.

Among the notifications, 29 cases were reported as having an earlier positive test (pre-1995), whilst 113 individuals had never been tested before for hepatitis C. In a further 119 cases the testing history was unknown. Of 34 reports of a previous negative test, 19 cases were tested more than 12 months earlier and 15 within the last year.

Among 266 new diagnoses, past or present injecting drug use was reported as a likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus in 188 (71%) instances (Table 2.1).

The majority of individuals were aged between 20 and 39 years at diagnosis, 97 (59%) males and 67 (63%) females (Table 2.2). Of six males and eight females aged less than twenty years (14 cases), 13 had a history of injecting drug use.

Newly acquired infections - Incident cases

Incident cases are identified by seroconversion of hepatitis C antibodies in a 12 month period or positive serology accompanied by acute clinical hepatitis not ascribed to other causes.

Sixteen incident cases were identified during the quarter, all had previous negative serology. The incident cases comprised six males and ten females. In all cases the likely mode of transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use (Table 2.3). At diagnosis, most (75%) were less than 30 years of age (Table 2.4).

Collated laboratory data for hepatitis C antibody tests performed during the quarter are shown in Table 2.5.

Table 2.1 Hepatitis C infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year.
Exposure category by sex.

^{1 Includes IDU in combination with other categories.}

^{2 Includes possible occupational, household, perinatal & sexual transmission; body piercing /acupuncture.}

^{3 Residence / medical treatment in an overseas country with a high prevalence of hepatitis C infection.}

Table 2.2 Hepatitis C infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year.
Age group by sex.

Table 2.3 Newly acquired infections (Incident cases*) of hepatitis C infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Exposure category by sex.

^{* Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text.}

Table 2.4 Newly acquired infections (Incident cases*) of hepatitis C infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Age group by sex.

^{* Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text.}

Table 2.5 Summary of laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies,
01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Laboratory by sex.

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