Hepatitis C virus: laboratory surveillance in England and Wales, 1992-2004.
Between 1992 and 2004, a total of 49,819 confirmed hepatitis C infections have been reported to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) by laboratories in England and Wales; the annual number of reports increased from 241 in 1991 to 8149 in 2004. Most reports with a known risk factor were in injecting drug users (87%, 12,438/14,221), but 71% (35,598/49,819) of the total had no reported identified risk. The age-sex distribution of the latter cases was similar to that in injecting drug users. Using names to assign ethnicity, individuals with South Asian names had an older age distribution and a different risk factor profile from non-South Asians. Using published age-specific prevalence data from 1996, it was estimated that around 28,1764 cases of hepatitis C infection exist in England and Wales, and that only 17% of these cases have been reported to the HPA. Surveillance reports continue to provide important information regarding trends in hepatitis C infection in specific risk groups.
Gungabissoon
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Immunisation Department, Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infections, London, UK.
Balogun
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Ramsay
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology