Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/07/05 - 30/09/05
In
the third quarter of 2005, 166 medical notifications of hepatitis C
infection were received, including 142 new diagnoses of infection.
The notifications recorded 110 (66%) cases in males and 56 (34%) in
females.
Medical
notification reported 24 cases as having an earlier, positive test
(pre-1995), whilst 71 individuals had not been tested before for hepatitis
C infection. In 42 cases the testing history was unknown. Of 29
individuals with a previous negative test, 16 were tested more than 12
months earlier and 13 were tested within the last year. In 89 (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 cases were aged between 30 and
49 years
(Table 2.2).
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.
Thirteen
incident cases were identified during the quarter, all had negative
serology in the preceding 12 months; one had signs of clinical hepatitis.
The incident cases comprised seven males and six females. In ten
cases the likely mode of transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting
drug use
(Table 2.3).
Two cases, one with no identifiable risk and
another awaiting further results, were possibly false positive tests.
At diagnosis, the age-range of incident cases was 21 to 47 years;
69% were less than 35 years of age (Table 2.4).
Most incident cases were Caucasian
(Table 2.5).
Collated laboratory data for hepatitis C antibody
tests during the quarter are shown in
Table
2.6.
Table 2.1
Hepatitis C infection, 01/07/05 - 30/09/05 and
year to date.
Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category
|
3rd
Quarter
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
IDU1 |
53
|
22
|
184
|
84
|
268
|
|
IDU / tattoos |
10
|
4
|
28
|
18
|
46
|
|
Blood transfusion/products2 |
4
|
5
|
9
|
16
|
25
|
|
Tattoos |
13
|
3
|
26
|
5
|
31
|
|
Other3 |
4
|
5
|
21
|
20
|
41
|
|
High prevalence country4 |
4
|
3
|
11
|
9
|
20
|
|
Unknown/not identified |
6
|
6
|
23
|
18
|
41
|
|
Total |
94
|
48
|
302
|
170
|
472
|
1 In 2%
of cases, includes IDU in combination with categories other than
tattoos.
2 Blood transfusion pre-1990
3 Residence/ medical treatment in a high prevalence
overseas country.
4 Includes occupational exposure, household
transmission, body piercing &/or acupuncture.
Table
2.2 Hepatitis C infection, 01/07/05 - 30/09/05 and year to
date.
Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years)
|
3rd Quarter
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
< 20 |
3
|
-
|
13
|
3
|
16
|
|
20 - 29 |
19
|
10
|
84
|
46
|
130
|
|
30 - 39 |
35
|
14
|
88
|
58
|
146
|
|
40 - 49 |
29
|
16
|
84
|
39
|
123
|
|
50 - 59 |
7
|
5
|
25
|
14
|
39
|
|
³ 60 |
1
|
3
|
8
|
10
|
18
|
|
Total |
94
|
48
|
302
|
170
|
472
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases*),
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 and year to date.
Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category
|
3rd
Quarter
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
IDU |
7
|
2
|
22
|
10
|
32
|
|
IDU / tattoo |
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Other2 |
-
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Not identified |
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
|
Unknown |
-
|
1
|
-
|
2
|
2
|
|
Total |
7
|
6
|
23
|
16
|
39
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text
2
Possible
false positive, awaiting further test results.
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases1),
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 and year to date. Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years)
|
3rd Quarter
01/07/05 -
30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
<20 |
-
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
20 - 29 |
5
|
2
|
14
|
6
|
20
|
|
30
- 39 |
2
|
3
|
7
|
8
|
15
|
|
40
- 49
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Total |
7
|
6
|
23
|
16
|
39
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text
Table
2.5
Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases1),
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 and year to date. Race by sex.
|
Racial origin
|
3rd Quarter
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
|
2
|
1
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
|
Asian
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Caucasian
|
4
|
4
|
17
|
11
|
28
|
|
Other1
|
-
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total |
7
|
6
|
23
|
16
|
39
|
1 African
Table
2.6
Summary of hepatitis C antibody tests, 01/07/05 - 30/09/05.
and year to date. Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory
|
3rd Quarter
01/07/05 - 30/09/05 |
Year to date
01/01/05 - 30/09/05 |
|
Male |
Female |
Unknown |
Male |
Female |
Unknown |
Total |
|
Public |
5670
|
7741
|
38
|
17704
|
23962
|
100
|
41766
|
|
Private |
2883
|
4144
|
-
|
8552
|
12654
|
-
|
21206
|
|
Total |
8553
|
11885
|
38
|
26256
|
36616
|
100
|
62972
|
|
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