|
Medical
notifications 2006
During 2006, medical notifications of hepatitis C
infection were received for 744 cases (472 males; 272 females).
Of these, 645 (87%) were first tested for HCV in 2006, whilst 99
(13%) reported a previous positive test. The testing history was unknown
in 209 (28%) cases. Among 162
(22%) cases recording a previous negative test, 85 were tested more than 2
years earlier, 31 between 1 and 2 years earlier, and 46 within the last year.
Hepatitis
C Medical Notification 01/10/06- 31/12/06
In
the fourth quarter of 2006, medical notifications of hepatitis C infection
were received for 214 individuals, 142 (66 %) males and 72 (34%) females.
Among
the notifications, 35 cases reported an earlier positive test (pre-1995),
whilst 88 individuals had never been tested before for hepatitis C
infection. In 54 cases the
testing history was unknown. Of 37 individuals with a previous negative test, 19 were
tested more than 24 months earlier, 9 between 12 and 24 months earlier and
9 were tested within the last year.
Of
179 new diagnoses of HCV infection, past or present injecting drug use (IDU)
was reported as a likely transmission route in 119 (65%) instances; 12
cases reported IDU plus tattoos as a second potential exposure (Table
2.1).
At
diagnosis, the majority of males 85 (71%) were aged 30 to 49 years, while
many females 37 (62%) were in the 20 to 39 year age-range (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.
Eleven
incident cases were identified during the quarter; nine had negative
serology in the preceding 12 months and two cases were tested because of
acute clinical hepatitis. The
incident cases comprised seven males and four females.
In 10 of the eleven cases the likely mode of transmission for
hepatitis C virus was injecting drug use (Table
2.3).
The
ages of female incident cases ranged from 18 to 49 years, while males were
aged 1 to 39 years at diagnosis (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, new diagnoses 01/10/06- 31/12/06 and year.
Exposure category
by sex.
|
Exposure
category
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/06- 31/12/06
|
Year
01/01/06- 31/12/06
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU1
|
82
|
37
|
255
|
126
|
381
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
9
|
3
|
48
|
20
|
68
|
|
Blood /tissue products2
|
0
|
2
|
17
|
15
|
32
|
|
Tattoos
|
4
|
1
|
20
|
5
|
25
|
|
Other3
|
6
|
9
|
15
|
23
|
38
|
|
High prevalence country4
|
10
|
6
|
32
|
24
|
56
|
|
Unknown/not identified
|
8
|
2
|
23
|
22
|
45
|
|
Total
|
119
|
60
|
410
|
235
|
645
|
1
Includes
IDU in combination with categories other than tattoos (2%).
2
Blood transfusion before 1990.
3 Includes
occupational (<0.5%), household & sexual exposure (<0.5%); body
piercing/acupuncture (2%).
4 Residence/medical treatment in a high prevalence
country overseas.
Table 2.2
Hepatitis C
infection, new diagnoses 01/10/06- 31/12/06 and year.
Age group by sex.
|
Age group (years)
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/06- 31/12/06
|
Year
to date
01/01/06- 31/12/06
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
< 20
|
3
|
4
|
11
|
13
|
24
|
|
20 - 29
|
17
|
16
|
75
|
65
|
140
|
|
30 - 39
|
47
|
21
|
135
|
76
|
211
|
|
40 - 49
|
38
|
12
|
132
|
43
|
175
|
|
³
50
|
14
|
7
|
57
|
38
|
95
|
|
Total
|
119
|
60
|
410
|
235
|
645
|
Table 2.3
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases1)
,
01/10/06- 31/12/06 and year. Exposure category by sex.
|
Exposure category
|
4th
Quarter
01/10/06- 31/12/06
|
Year
to date
01/01/06- 31/12/06
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
IDU
|
6
|
3
|
32
|
11
|
43
|
|
IDU/tattoos
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
|
Other2
|
1
|
-
|
4
|
1
|
5
|
|
Unknown/not
identified
|
-
|
-
|
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Total
|
7
|
4
|
38
|
15
|
53
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
2 One case sexual partner +ve, peri natal,
one tattoo & two born in a high prevalence country,
Table 2.4
Newly acquired hepatitis C infection (Incident cases*),
01/10/06- 31/12/06 and year. Age group by sex.
|
Age
group
(years)
|
4th Quarter
01/10/06- 31/12/06
|
Year
01/01/06- 31/12/06
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Male
|
Female
|
Total
|
|
10 - 19
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
|
20 - 29
|
2
|
-
|
15
|
7
|
22
|
|
30 - 39
|
3
|
1
|
15
|
3
|
18
|
|
40 - 49
|
-
|
2
|
5
|
2
|
7
|
|
Total
|
7
|
4
|
38
|
15
|
53
|
1
Incident cases are newly acquired infections, see text.
Table 2.5 Summary of
laboratory tests for hepatitis C antibodies
01/10/06- 31/12/06 and year. Laboratory by sex.
|
Laboratory
|
4th Quarter
01/10/06- 31/12/06
|
Year
01/01/06- 31/12/06
|
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Male
|
Female
|
Unknown
|
Total
|
|
Public
|
5790
|
8026
|
38
|
23311 |
33007
|
122
|
56440
|
|
Private
|
2701
|
4314
|
4
|
11227 |
17329
|
12
|
28568
|
|
Total
|
8491
|
12340
|
42
|
34538 |
50336
|
134
|
85008
|
|
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