Hepatitis (Hansard, 13 December 2000)

§ Yvette Cooper

Routine surveillance of hepatitis B infection is based on laboratory diagnoses. Data on injecting drug users from 1995 to 1999 are given in the table. These data are subject to under-reporting as about 60 per cent. of adult infections are asymptomatic and information about risk factors that may be relevant to the acquisition of infection is not available for about 40 per cent. of reports.

Acute hepatitis B infection laboratory reports in injecting drug users England and Wales, 1995 to 1999
	Injecting drug users	Total
1995	147	614
1996	166	569
1997	192	652
1998	251	843
1999¹	230	719
¹ Provisional data

Source

Public Health Laboratory Service

Routine surveillance of hepatitis C infection is based on laboratory reports of antibodies to hepatitis C. Data on injecting drug users from 1995 to 1999 are given in the table. These data do not distinguish between resolved and chronic infections and are subject to under reporting as most infections will be asymptomatic. Information about the acquisition of risk factors that may be relevant to the acquisition of infection is available only for about 50 per cent. of reports.

Laboratory reports of antibodies to hepatitis C in injecting drug users England and Wales, 1995 to 1999
	Injecting drug users	Total
1995	815	1,662
1996¹	1,220	2,544
1997¹	1,432	3,059
1998^{1, 2}	1,761	4,466
1999^{1, 2}	1,961	5,554
¹ Provisional data
² Includes child injecting drug users

Source

Public Health Laboratory Service

There have been 14 laboratory reports of acute hepatitis B infections in diabetics in the period 1990 to 1999. However in only three of these was the diabetic needle considered a possible source of infection.