|
Hepatitis
B Medical Notification 01/10/05 - 31/12/05
During the fourth quarter of 2005, 73 hepatitis B
medical notifications were received.
Of these, two were acute clinical cases of hepatitis B infection
(Table
3.3). A further 14 were reports of chronic carriers of
greater than twelve months duration, who had been previously diagnosed,
but not notified (Table
3.3). Reports
of antigen positivity of uncertain duration accounted for 57 cases (Table
3.3).
The
exposure categories identified for the two acute clinical cases were
injecting drug use (1) and none identified (1
) (Table
3.1).
Of
the 57 reports of antigen positivity of uncertain duration, 36 tested
surface antigen positive for the first time this quarter, four were
previous positives of less than 12 months duration and not previously
notified and the testing history was unknown for the 17 remaining cases.
Among
the 36 individuals who tested surface antigen positive for the first time,
but were not acute cases, the racial origin of 14 (39%) was reported as
Asian; all cases reported as ‘Other’ (13, 36%) were of African origin
(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, year.
Exposure category by sex.
| Exposure category
|
Year
01/01/05 - 31/12/05
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Country of birth
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Acupuncture
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
None identified
|
4
|
-
|
4
|
|
Total
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
Table 3.2
Acute hepatitis
B infection, year.
Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years)
|
Year
01/01/05 - 31/12/05 |
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
<10
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
20 - 29
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
|
30 - 39
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
40 - 49
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
>50
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Total
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
Table 3.3
Hepatitis B
infection, 01/10/05 - 31/12/05 and year.
Case category by sex.
|
Case category
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/05 - 31/12/05
|
Year
01/01/05 - 31/12/05
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
Acute
infection
|
2
|
-
|
6
|
2
|
8
|
|
Antigen positive -
uncertain duration
|
35
|
22
|
166
|
102
|
268
|
|
Chronic carriers -
>12 months
|
7
|
7
|
28
|
32
|
60
|
|
Total
|
44
|
29
|
200
|
136
|
336
|
Table 3.4
Individuals who
tested hepatitis B surface antigen positive
for the first time, 01/10/05 - 31/12/05 and year. Race by sex.
|
Racial origin
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/05 - 31/12/05
|
Year
01/01/05 - 31/12/05
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
Aboriginal
|
3
|
-
|
9
|
4
|
13
|
|
Asian
|
8
|
6
|
30
|
32
|
62
|
|
Caucasian
|
5
|
1
|
15
|
1
|
16
|
|
Other
|
9
|
4
|
48
|
21
|
69
|
|
Unknown
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Total
|
25
|
11
|
103
|
59
|
162
|
Table 3.5
Summary of
hepatitis B surface antigen tests, 01/10/05 - 31/12/05
and year.
Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/05 - 31/12/05
|
Year
01/01/05 - 31/12/05
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
Public
|
5404
|
7722
|
-
|
22137
|
31636
|
81
|
53854
|
|
Private
|
2104
|
3569
|
-
|
8144
|
14344
|
-
|
22488
|
|
Total
|
7508
|
11291
|
|
30281
|
45980
|
81
|
76342
|
|
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