Related Pages

Hepatitis B contents

Essential facts

More information

Diagnosis and management

Vaccination program audit

Statistics

Hepatitis-related links

Pamphlet
(pdf format)

Hepatitis B Surveillance in South Australia

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

During the fourth quarter of 2001, 73 hepatitis B medical notifications were received. Of these, five 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). Reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration accounted for 55 cases (Table 3.3). There was one report of antigen positivity of less than 12 months duration (defined by a negative surface antigen test in the 12 months prior to diagnosis) (Table 3.3).

Exposure categories identified for the acute clinical cases were heterosexual contact (1), homosexual contact (2), injecting drug use (1) and unknown risk factors (1) (Table 3.1).

Of the 55 reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration, 33 tested surface antigen positive for the first time this quarter and the testing history was unknown for the remaining 22 cases. Among the individuals who tested surface antigen positive for the first time, but were not acute cases, the racial origin of 23 (70%) 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, 01/10/01 - 31/12/01 and year.
Exposure category by sex.

^{n.a. not applicable}

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

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

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

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

Top of Page