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Pamphlet
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Hepatitis C Surveillance in South Australia

Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/07/06 - 30/09/06

In the third quarter of 2006, 154 medical notifications of hepatitis C infection were received, including 133 new diagnoses of infection. The notifications recorded 97 (63%) cases in males and 57 (37%) in females. The cumulative total in 2006 is similar the same period in 2005 (472).

Medical notification reported 21 cases with a previous positive test, whilst 43 individuals had not been tested before for hepatitis C infection. In 55 cases, the testing history was unknown. Of 35 (23%) individuals with a previous negative test, eight were last tested within the past year, and 22 were tested 12-24 months earlier.

Among 133 reports of new diagnoses of hepatitis C infection (86 males and 47 females), past or present injecting drug use was recorded as a likely transmission route for hepatitis C virus in 95 (71%) instances (Table 2.1).

At diagnosis, 80% of cases were aged between 20 and 49 years (Table 2.2).

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.

Ten incident cases were identified during the quarter, all were male. Eight cases had negative serology in the preceding 12 months. Three cases had clinical hepatitis at diagnosis; two of these had no previous tests. In all cases, the likely mode of transmission for hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use (Table 2.3). At diagnosis, the age-range of incident cases was 22 to 43 years; mean 32 years (Table 2.4). The majority of 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, 01/07/06 - 30/09/06 and year to date.
Exposure category by sex.

Exposure category	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06		Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Exposure category	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
IDU¹	50	27	163	85	248
IDU / tattoos	14	5	39	18	57
Blood transfusion/products²	2	1	17	12	29
Tattoos	3	1	15	4	19
High prevalence country³	8	6	21	16	37
Other⁴	3	1	9	13	22
Unknown/not identified	6	6	15	22	37
Total	86	47	279	170	449

^{1
In 3% 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}^{,
assault}^.

Table 2.2 Hepatitis C infection, 01/07/06 - 30/09/06 and year to date.
Age group by sex.

Age group (years)	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06		Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Age group (years)	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
< 20	-	-	7	9	16
20 - 29	18	17	56	49	105
30 - 39	28	12	82	54	136
40 - 49	24	8	91	29	120
50 - 59	9	7	25	18	43
³ 60	7	3	18	11	29
Total	86	47	279	170	449

Table 2.3 Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases¹),
01/07/06 - 30/09/06 and year to date. Exposure category by sex.

Exposure category	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06		Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Exposure category	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
IDU	10	-	26	8	34
IDU / tattoo	-	-	1	2	3
Tattoos²	-	-	1	-	1
Other³	-	-	1	1	2
Unknown/ not identified	-	-	2	1	3
Total	10	-	31	12	43

¹^{Incident
cases are newly acquired infections, see text}
² ^{Non-professional tattoos

3}^{Old tattoo, assisted at
injury; residence/ medical treatment in

a high prevalence overseas country.}

Table 2.4 Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases¹),
01/07/06 - 30/09/06 and year to date. Age group by sex.

Age group (years)	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06		Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Age group (years)	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
10 - 19	-	-	1	2	3
20 - 29	4	-	13	7	20
30 - 39	4	-	12	3	15
40 - 49	2	-	5	-	5
Total	10	-	31	12	43

¹ ^{Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text}

Table 2.5 Newly acquired hepatitis C infections (incident cases¹),
01/07/06 - 30/09/06 and year to date. Race by sex.

Racial origin	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06		Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Racial origin	Male	Female	Male	Female	Total
Aboriginal	1	-	3	2	5
Asian	-	-	2	0	2
Caucasian	9	-	26	10	36
Total	10	-	31	12	43

^{1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see}^text

Table 2.6 Summary of hepatitis C antibody tests, 01/07/06 - 30/09/06.
and year to date. Laboratory by sex.

Laboratory	3rd Quarter 01/07/06 - 30/09/06			Year to date 01/01/06 - 30/09/06
Laboratory	Male	Female	Unknown	Male	Female	Unknown	Total
Public	5846	8230	24	17521	24981	84	42586
Private	2979	4596	-	8526	13015	-	21541
Total	8825	12826	24	26047	37996	84	64127

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Related Pages

Hepatitis C Surveillance in South Australia

Hepatitis C Medical Notification 01/07/06 - 30/09/06

Newly acquired infections - Incident Cases