|
Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/01/06 - 31/03/06
In the first quarter of 2006, 189 medical
notifications of hepatitis C infection were received (115 males, 61%; 74
females, 39%). Included in the notifications were 170 individuals newly
diagnosed with hepatitis C infection (Table
2.1).
Medical notification reported 69 cases as having no previous
hepatitis C test while 19 individuals had earlier, positive tests (before
1995). Forty seven notifications reported previous negative tests; in 16
cases within the last 12 months, and in 31 cases more than 12 months
earlier. Included in the latter, were nine cases with a negative test less
than 2 years before the positive test at diagnosis.
In a further 54 cases the testing history was unknown.
Among
the notifications, past or present injecting drug use was reported as a
transmission route for hepatitis C virus in 118 (64%) cases, among these
18 also recorded tattoos (Table 2.1).
At diagnosis, most cases were aged between 20 and
49 years; 82 (80%) males and 58 (84%) females, and few were aged less than
20 years (6, 3%) (Table 2.2).
Newly acquired infections - Incident Cases
Incident
cases are identified by hepatitis C antibody seroconversion within 12
months, or a positive test accompanied by acute clinical hepatitis not
ascribed to other causes.
Twenty one incident cases were identified in the quarter.
Sixteen had negative serology in the previous 12 months, while five cases
were diagnosed on presentation with acute clinical hepatitis; four of the
latter had negative tests more than 12 months earlier.
The
incident cases comprised 15 males and six females. The probable mode of
transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use in 19 cases; two
also had recently applied tattoos. One case had been exposed to blood in
an accident setting and had a sexual partner with hepatitis C infection.
One further notification reported a case who was born overseas, has
a low level of antibodies and no detectable virus, and is likely to
reflect a false positive result (Table
2.3).
The age range at
diagnosis for incident cases was 18 to 41 years, with a mean of 29 years (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, 01/01/06 - 31/03/06.
Exposure category by sex.
|
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
| Exposure category |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
|
IDU1 |
55
|
54
|
35
|
51
|
90
|
53
|
|
IDU/Tattoos |
13
|
13
|
5
|
7
|
18
|
11
|
|
Blood transfusion/products2 |
6
|
6
|
7
|
10
|
13
|
8
|
|
Tattoos |
5
|
5
|
3
|
4
|
8
|
5
|
|
High prevalence country3 |
8
|
8
|
2
|
3
|
10
|
6
|
|
Other4 |
5
|
5
|
9
|
13
|
14
|
7
|
|
Unknown/not
identified |
9
|
9
|
8
|
12
|
17
|
10
|
|
Total |
101
|
|
69
|
|
170
|
|
1
Includes IDU in combination with categories other than tattoos (5
cases)
2 Blood transfusion before 1990
3
Residence/medical treatment in an overseas high
prevalence country
4 "Other" includes- assault (1), occupational (1) &
perinatal transmission (2), acupuncture (3) and body
piercing (2).
Table 2.2
Hepatitis C
infection, 01/01/06 - 31/03/06.
Age group by sex.
|
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
| Age group
(years) |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
|
10 - 19 |
3
|
3
|
3
|
4
|
6
|
4
|
|
20 - 29 |
19
|
19
|
18
|
26
|
37
|
22
|
|
30 - 39 |
27
|
27
|
24
|
35
|
51
|
30
|
|
40 - 49 |
36
|
35
|
16
|
23
|
52
|
31
|
|
³
50 |
16
|
16
|
8
|
12
|
24
|
13
|
|
Total |
101
|
|
69
|
|
170
|
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1)
01/01/06 - 31/03/06. Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
IDU |
13
|
4
|
17
|
|
IDU/tattoos |
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
High prevalence country2 |
-
|
1
|
1
|
|
Other3 |
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Total |
15
|
6
|
21
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text
2
Born overseas, likely false positive, see text
3
Blood exposure, see text.
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases*),
01/01/06 - 31/03/06. Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years) |
Male |
Female |
Total |
|
15 - 19
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
20 - 24
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
25 - 29
|
5
|
1
|
6
|
|
30 - 34
|
3
|
2
|
5
|
|
35 - 39
|
2
|
-
|
2
|
|
40 - 45
|
1
|
-
|
1
|
|
Total
|
15
|
6
|
21
|
*
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text
Table 2.5
Summary of
hepatitis C antibody tests, 01/01/06 - 31/03/06.
Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory |
Male |
Female |
Unknown |
Total |
|
Private |
2778
|
4255
|
-
|
7033
|
|
Public |
5959
|
8655
|
35
|
14649
|
|
Total |
8737
|
12910
|
35
|
21682
|
|
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