|
Medical
notifications 2003
During
2003, 852 medical notifications of hepatitis C infection were received for
529 males and 323 females. Among these notifications were 75 incident
cases. This is an increase in incident cases compared to the number in
2002.
Hepatitis
C Medical Notification 01/10/03 - 31/12/03
In
the fourth quarter of 2003, medical notifications of hepatitis C infection
were received for 203 individuals, 122 (60%) males and 81 (40%) females.
Among
the notifications, 27 cases were reported as having an earlier positive
test (pre-1995), whilst 64 individuals had never been tested before for
hepatitis C infection. In a further 61 cases the testing history was
unknown. Of 51 individuals with a previous negative test, 27 were tested
more than 12 months earlier and 24 were tested within the last year. In
136 (77%) instances, past or present injecting drug use was reported as a
likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus (Table
2.1).
Most
newly diagnosed males (87%) were aged between 20 and 49 years, as were the
majority of females (75%) Table 2.2).
Of the 11 cases (2 male, 9 females) aged less than twenty years at
diagnosis, nine 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 illness not ascribed to other causes.
Twenty
seven incident cases were identified during the quarter, 24 had negative
serology in the preceding 12 months. Three cases with clinical hepatitis
had negative tests more than 12 months earlier. The incident cases
comprised 13 males and 14 females. In 24 cases the likely mode of
transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use, three cases
also had recent tattoos. One case is currently under investigation, having
had a recent medical procedure. One further case had a remote risk for infection (Table
2.3).
At the time of diagnosis, six males and nine females 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, new diagnoses 01/10/03 - 31/12/03 and year.
Exposure category
by sex.
|
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/03 - 31/12/03
|
Year
01/01/03 - 31/12/03
|
|
Exposure
category
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU1
|
72
|
46
|
303
|
172
|
475
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
13
|
5
|
43
|
14
|
57
|
|
Blood transfusion/products
|
3
|
3
|
14
|
16
|
30
|
|
Tattoos
|
3
|
2
|
34
|
11
|
45
|
|
Occupational exposure
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
High prevalence country2
|
2
|
6
|
24
|
18
|
42
|
|
Other3
|
4
|
7
|
8
|
20
|
28
|
|
Unknown
|
5
|
4
|
25
|
28
|
51
|
|
Total
|
103
|
73
|
453
|
279
|
732
|
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 01/10/03 - 31/12/03 and year.
Age group by sex.
|
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/03 - 31/12/03
|
Year
to date
01/01/03 - 31/12/03
|
|
Age group (years)
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
< 10
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
10 - 19
|
2
|
8
|
8
|
24
|
32
|
|
20 - 29
|
27
|
21
|
116
|
93
|
209
|
|
30 - 39
|
35
|
15
|
136
|
83
|
219
|
|
40 - 49
|
28
|
19
|
137
|
50
|
187
|
|
³
50
|
11
|
9
|
55
|
27
|
82
|
|
Total
|
103
|
73
|
453
|
279
|
732
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1)
,
01/10/03 - 31/12/03 and year. Exposure category by sex.
|
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/03 - 31/12/03
|
Year
to date
01/01/03 - 31/12/03
|
|
Exposure category
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU2
|
10
|
11
|
35
|
32
|
67
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
3
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Other3
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
4
|
5
|
|
Remote risk
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
|
Total
|
13
|
14
|
37
|
38
|
75
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
2 Includes
IDU in combination with tattoos for 4 males
3 Includes
body piercing (1), sex partner HCV+ (1), Injury+/or blood product (2)
acquired overseas (1).
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases*),
01/10/03 - 31/12/03 and year. Age group by sex.
|
|
4th Quarter
01/10/03 - 31/12/03
|
Year
01/01/03 - 31/12/03
|
|
Age
group (years)
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
15 - 19
|
-
|
4
|
1
|
10
|
11
|
|
20 - 29
|
6
|
5
|
18
|
18
|
36
|
|
30 - 39
|
5
|
1
|
12
|
6
|
18
|
|
40 - 49
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
7
|
|
50 - 59
|
-
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
60 - 69
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
13
|
14
|
37
|
38
|
75
|
* Incident
cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
Table 2.5 Summary of
laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies,
01/10/03 - 31/12/03 and year. Laboratory by sex.
|
|
4th Quarter
01/10/03-31/12/03
|
Year
01/01/03 - 31/12/03
|
|
|
Laboratory
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
Public
|
5522
|
6830
|
21475
|
27486
|
189
|
49150
|
|
Private
|
3073
|
4376
|
13344
|
18525
|
-
|
31869
|
|
Total
|
8595
|
11206
|
34819
|
46011
|
189
|
81019
|
|
Health
on the Net Code of Conduct for health-related sites