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Hepatitis C Surveillance in South Australia

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

In the third quarter of 2002, medical notifications of hepatitis C infection were received for 214 individuals, 147 (698%) males and 67 (31%) females. The number of notifications is similar to that of the previous quarter (211), but fewer than in the same period in 2001 (283).

Thirty-five cases were reported as having an earlier positive test (pre-1995), whilst 67 individuals had never been tested before for hepatitis C infection; in a further 77 cases the testing history was unknown. Of 35 individuals with a previous negative test, 27 were tested more than 12 months earlier and seven were tested within the last year. Among the 179 new diagnoses, 128 (72%) reported past or present injecting drug use as a likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus (Table 2.1).

At the time of diagnosis, the majority of males (86%) were aged between 20 and 49 years, while most females (58%) were in the 20 to 39 year age range (Table 2.2). Four males and two females were aged less than twenty years at diagnosis, all had a history of injecting drug use. 

Newly acquired infections - Incident Cases

Incident cases are infections acquired in the last 12 months, and are identified by recent seroconversion for hepatitis C antibodies or a positive test accompanied by acute clinical hepatitis not ascribed to other causes.

Eight incident cases were identified during the quarter, seven had negative serology in the preceding 12 months and one had clinical hepatitis. The incident cases comprised five males and three females. In seven cases the likely mode of transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use; the transmission route is not yet known in one case (Table 2.3). At diagnosis most were in the 20-29 age-group (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, new diagnoses 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year
                 to date. Exposure category by sex.

1 Includes IDU in combination with categories other than tattoos.

2 Residence/medical treatment in a high prevalence overseas country.

3 Includes occupational exposure; household, perinatal & sexual transmission; body piercing/ acupuncture.

Table 2.2   Hepatitis C infection, new diagnoses 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year 
                  to date. Age group by sex.

Table 2.3  Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (Incident cases*), 
                 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. Exposure category by sex.

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

Table 2.4  Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (Incident cases*), 
                 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. Age group by sex.

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

Table 2.5  Summary of laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies,
                 01/07/02 - 30/09/02 and year to date. Laboratory by sex.

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