Applicable in: United Kingdom

Laboratory reports of Hepatitis B and C are collected separately for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For England and Wales, the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC), at the Health Protection Agency (HPA), collects Hepatitis C laboratory reports which include both antibodies to hepatitis C (anti-HCV) and/or HCV Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) positive cases. The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) holds non-identifying data on all persons in Scotland with an HCV antibody positive test result. Information on HCV RNA status for these cases is also held, if available, but inclusion in the database requires an anti-HCV positive diagnosis.The CDSC Northern Ireland collects all acute cases, along with chronic infections occurring in children, pregnant women and health care workers.

Similarly for Hepatitis B, England and Wales data include only acute Hepatitis B laboratory reports (HbsAg positive and anti-HBc IGM positive with discrete onset of jaundice or other comparable illness) (Balogun et al. 1999). SCIEH receives notification of positive Hepatitis B tests from all laboratories located in the 15 National Health Service (NHS) Board areas. Information on risk factors, clinical history and status of HBV markers is frequently missing; thus it is difficult to determine whether cases are acute or chronic. In Northern Ireland, all acute cases should be reported, along with chronic infections occurring in children, pregnant women and health care workers.

Laboratory report data for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are available online (CDSCNI 2003; HPA 2003; SCIEH 2003a).

References
Balogun, M.A., Ramsay, M.E., Parry, J.V., Donovan, L., Andrews, N.J., Newham, J.A. et al (2003). A national survey of genitourinary medicine clinic attenders provides little evidence of sexual transmission of Hepatitis C virus infection. Sexually Transmitted Infections. 79, 301-306.

Related glossary entries
Health Protection Agency
Scottish Centre for Infections and Environmental Health