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Sentinel laboratory surveillance of hepatitis C antibody testing in England: understanding the epidemiology of HCV infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2006

L. J. BRANT ,
M. HURRELLE ,
M. A. BALOGUN ,
P. KLAPPER ,
F. AHMAD ,
E. BOXALL ,
A. HALE ,
V. HOLLYOAK ,
I. B. IBRAHIM  and
W. IRVING
...Show all authors
L. J. BRANT
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, UK
M. HURRELLE
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Leeds Laboratory, Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, UK
M. A. BALOGUN
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, UK
P. KLAPPER
Affiliation:
Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
F. AHMAD
Affiliation:
Ealing Hospital, London, UK
E. BOXALL
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, West Midlands Laboratory, Heart of England Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
A. HALE
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Leeds Laboratory, Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, UK
V. HOLLYOAK
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Newcastle Laboratory, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle, UK
I. B. IBRAHIM
Affiliation:
Ealing Hospital, London, UK
W. IRVING
Affiliation:
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
R. MEIGH
Affiliation:
Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, Hull, UK
K. J. MUTTON
Affiliation:
Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
B. C. PATEL
Affiliation:
HPA Collaborating Centre, Department of Microbiology, North Middlesex University Hospital, London, UK
W. K. PAVER
Affiliation:
Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
S. PUGH
Affiliation:
Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK
C. TAYLOR
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Newcastle Laboratory, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle, UK
A. J. TURNER
Affiliation:
Manchester Medical Microbiology Partnership, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK
M. E. RAMSAY
Affiliation:
Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, UK
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Abstract

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This paper describes sentinel laboratory surveillance of hepatitis C antibody testing in England. Demographic and test result data were supplemented by follow-up questionnaires sent to the requesting clinician. Between October 2002 and September 2003 almost 75000 anti-HCV tests were performed in eight sentinel centres. More males were tested than females and over half of those tested were aged 25–44 years. Overall 5·7% (3333/58144, range 2·8–7·7%) individuals tested positive. Follow-up questionnaire data showed that 82% (1043/1277) of the positives had injecting drug use reported as the main risk exposure. The majority of negative individuals were undergoing routine screening as recommended for specific patient groups. Most individuals were asymptomatic. Antibody prevalence was estimated to be 34% in current injecting drug users and 42% in former injectors. Comparing positives to routine national surveillance suggests that only 53% (1782/3333) of diagnosed cases were reported. Sentinel laboratory data can provide valuable supplementary data to national surveillance.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 135 , Issue 3 , April 2007 , pp. 417 - 426
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press