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Hepatitis B Surveillance in South Australia

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

During the fourth quarter of 2000, 83 hepatitis B medical notifications were received. Of these, four were acute clinical cases of hepatitis B infection (Tables 3.1, 3.2). A further 12 were reports of chronic carriers of greater than twelve months duration, who had been previously diagnosed, but not notified (Table 3.3). There were two reports of antigen positivity of less than 12 months duration (defined by a negative hepatitis surface antigen test in the 12 months prior to diagnosis) (Table 3.3). Reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration accounted for 65 cases (Table 3.3).

Exposures identified for the four acute clinical cases were injecting drug use (1), heterosexual contact (2), and social/family contact (1) (Table 3.1).

Of the 65 reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration, 34 tested surface antigen positive for the first time this quarter, two had a previous negative test and the testing history was unknown for the remaining 29 cases. Among the 34 individuals who tested surface antigen positive for the first time, but were not acute cases, the racial origin of 17 (50%) was reported as Asian (Table 3.4). The number of hepatitis B surface antigen tests performed by laboratories for this quarter is shown in Table 3.5.

Table 3.1 Acute hepatitis B infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Exposure category by sex.

Table 3.2 Acute hepatitis B infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Age group by sex.

Table 3.3 Hepatitis B infection, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year.
Case category by sex.

Table 3.4 Individuals who tested hepatitis B surface antigen positive for the first time, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. 
Race by sex.

Table 3.5 Summary of hepatitis B surface antigen tests, 01/10/00 - 31/12/00 and whole year. Laboratory by sex.

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