|
Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/07/04 - 30/09/04
In
the third quarter of 2004, 165 medical notifications of hepatitis C
infection were received, 45 fewer than for the same period in 2003.
However, 2004 cumulative data closely match 2003 totals. The notifications
recorded 92 (56%) cases in males and 73 (44%) in females.
Medical
notifications reported 15 cases as having an earlier, positive test
(pre-1995), whilst 59 individuals had never been tested before for
hepatitis C infection. In 58 cases the testing history was unknown. Of 33
individuals with a previous negative test, 23 were tested more than 12 months earlier and 10 were tested within the last
year. In 97 (63%) instances, past or present injecting drug use was
reported as a likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus (Table
2.1).
At diagnosis many males (84%) were aged 20 to 49
years, as were 77% of females (Table
2.2). Of seven cases under twenty years of age, four
had used injecting drugs.
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.
Twelve
incident cases were identified during the quarter, 10 had negative
serology in the preceding 12 months and two had signs of clinical
hepatitis. The incident cases
comprised seven males and five females. In 10 cases the likely mode of
transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use (Table
2.3).
Eight incident cases were less than 30 years of age at the time of
diagnosis (Table 2.4).
Table 2.5
summarises collated laboratory data for hepatitis
C antibody tests.
Table 2.1
Hepatitis C
infection, new diagnoses 01/07/04 - 30/09/04 and year
to date.
Exposure
category by sex.
|
Exposure category |
3rd Quarter
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 |
Year to date
01/01/04 - 30/09/04 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
IDU1 |
54
|
33
|
220
|
118
|
338
|
|
IDU/Tattoos |
7
|
3
|
26
|
10
|
30
|
|
Blood transfusion/ products |
4
|
8
|
18
|
18
|
36
|
|
Tattoos |
5
|
3
|
16
|
5
|
21
|
|
High prevalence country2 |
7
|
9
|
24
|
23
|
47
|
|
Other3 |
3
|
5
|
10
|
13
|
23
|
|
Perinatal |
-
|
-
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
|
Unknown |
4
|
5
|
20
|
21
|
41
|
|
Total |
84
|
66
|
335
|
211
|
546
|
1 Includes IDU
in combination with categories other than tattoos.
2
Residence/medical treatment in a high prevalence overseas country.
3
Includes occupational exposure, assault, household transmission, body
piercing &/or acupuncture.
Table 2.2
Hepatitis C
infection, new diagnoses 01/07/04 - 30/09/04 and year
to date. Age group
by sex.
|
Age group (years) |
3rd Quarter
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 |
Year to date
01/01/04 - 30/09/04 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
< 20 |
3
|
4
|
10
|
15
|
25
|
|
20 - 29 |
22
|
13
|
68
|
55
|
123
|
|
30 - 39 |
21
|
24
|
104
|
67
|
170
|
|
40 - 49 |
28
|
14
|
115
|
45
|
160
|
|
50 – 59 |
7
|
6
|
28
|
12
|
40
|
|
> 60 |
3
|
5
|
11
|
17
|
28
|
|
Total |
84
|
66
|
335
|
211
|
546
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1),
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 and year to date. Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category |
3rd Quarter
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 |
Year to date
01/01/04 - 30/09/04 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
IDU |
6
|
4
|
20
|
7
|
27
|
|
IDU/Tattoos |
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Tattoo |
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Sex partner HCV+ |
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Occupational exposure |
-
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Other2 |
1
|
-
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
Unknown |
-
|
-
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Total |
7
|
5
|
25
|
12
|
37
|
1 Incident cases are newly
acquired infections, see text.
2 Includes
assault (1), blood transfusion under investigation (1)
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1),
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 and year to date. Age group by sex.
|
Age group
(years) |
3rd Quarter
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 |
Year to date
01/01/04 - 30/09/04 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
<20 |
-
|
-
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
20 - 29 |
5
|
3
|
10
|
6
|
16
|
|
30 - 39 |
1
|
1
|
9
|
3
|
12
|
|
40 - 49 |
1
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
5
|
|
50 - 59 |
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Total |
7
|
5
|
25
|
12
|
37
|
1Incident cases are newly
acquired infections, see text.
Table 2.5
Summary of
laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies,
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 and year to date. Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory |
3rd Quarter
01/07/04 - 30/09/04 |
Year to date
01/01/04 - 30/09/04 |
|
Male |
Female |
Unknown |
Male |
Female |
Unknown |
Total |
|
Public |
5321
|
7353
|
33
|
16407
|
22327
|
107
|
38841
|
|
Private |
3151
|
4497
|
-
|
9212
|
13217
|
-
|
22429
|
|
Total |
8472
|
11850
|
33
|
25619
|
35544
|
107
|
61270
|
|
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