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Hepatitis B Surveillance in South Australia

Hepatitis B Medical Notification 01/07/02 - 30/09/02

During the third quarter of 2002, 74 hepatitis B medical notifications were received. Of these, four were acute clinical cases of hepatitis B infection (Tables 3.1, 3.2). A further 11 were reports of chronic carriers of greater than 12 months duration, who had been previously diagnosed, but not notified (Table 3.3). Reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration accounted for 58 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 injecting drug use (1), overseas travel (1), and unknown risk factors (2) (Table 3.1).

Of the 58 reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration, 43 tested surface antigen positive for the first time this quarter, one had a positive test in the preceding 12 months and the testing history was unknown for the remaining 14 cases. Among the 43 individuals who tested surface antigen positive for the first time, but were not acute cases, the racial origin of 24 (56%) 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, 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. 
                Exposure category by sex.

Table 3.2   Acute hepatitis B infection, 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. 
                 Age group by sex.

Table 3.3  Hepatitis B infection, 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date.
                 Case category by sex.

Table 3.4  Individuals who tested hepatitis B surface antigen positive for the
                first time, 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. Race by sex.

Table 3.5  Summary of hepatitis B surface antigen tests, 01/07/02 - 30/09/02
                 and year to date. Laboratory by sex.

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