Using automated extraction of hepatitis B tests for surveillance: evidence of decreasing incidence of acute hepatitis B in England |
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Authors: | Brant L J Hurrelle M Collins S Klapper P E Ramsay M E |
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Institution: | Health Protection Agency, Centre for Infections, Colindale, London, UK. |
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Abstract: | Surveillance of acute hepatitis B in England is necessary to estimate incidence, determine routes of transmission and inform public health actions. Here we describe an automated process to extract information on testing for markers of hepatitis B infection in English sentinel laboratories between 2002 and 2008. The resulting data were used to identify individuals with acute infections, describe their characteristics and estimate the incidence of infection. Two-thirds of acute infections were in males. Heterosexual exposure and injecting drug use were the main risks reported. Annual incidence was estimated at 1.3/100 000 person-years overall (1.7 and 0.6 for males and females, respectively) and declined each year. Automated extraction of hepatitis B markers, including quantitative results where available, can help to classify HBV status more accurately for surveillance. HBV incidence in England is at its lowest level in recent years. |
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