Study Results
On this page you can find the most recent quarterly, annual and cumulative data from the sentinel surveillance study of hepatitis testing.
Study participants can log in to the website using the form at the left-hand side of the page to see additional data relevant to their sentinel laboratory or local Health Protection Unit.
It is important to note that no laboratory methods are currently available to distinguish between acute, chronic or resolved hepatitis C virus infections. Positive anti-HCV results do not therefore necessarily represent incident infections and the data presented here should be interpreted with care.
Quarterly results; October to December 2007
1. Hepatitis C testing
During the last quarter of 2007, a total of 32,761 individuals were tested at least once for hepatitis C-specific antibodies (anti-HCV) in 19 participating sentinel centres (Table 1). This is the first time these individuals had been reported to the sentinel surveillance scheme.
Overall, 4.3% of individuals tested for anti-HCV were positive, though this varied by region (Table 1). The high proportion positive observed among individuals tested in the North East is likely to be due to changes in sample referral patterns: many hospitals in this area have started carrying out their own hepatitis testing rather than sending samples to the sentinel laboratory. The services to which the sentinel laboratory continues to provide testing include those accessed by individuals at high risk of hepatitis C infection, which may explain the high percentage positive seen here.
Table 1. Individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HCV in participating centres, October - December 2007
| Region (number of centres) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| East Midlands (1) | 3,274 | 76 (2.3) |
| East of England (1) | 1,258 | 53 (4.2) |
| London (5) | 8,435 | 341 (4.0) |
| North East (1) | 264 | 25 (9.5) |
| North West (5) | 7,287 | 385 (5.3) |
| South Central (1) | 888 | 38 (4.3) |
| South East Coast (1) | 2,771 | 40 (1.4) |
| South West (1) | 3,633 | 244 (6.7) |
| Wales* | 15 | 0 (0.0) |
| West Midlands (1) | 1,360 | 51 (3.8) |
| Yorkshire and Humberside (2) | 3,576 | 151 (4.2) |
| Total, all regions (19) | 32,761 | 1,404 (4.3) |
* Although all sentinel centres are in England, a small amount of first-line testing from general practices in Wales is carried out by laboratories in the North West and West Midlands.
Table 2 shows the age and sex profile of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HCV in participating centres during the last quarter of 2007.
Table 2. Age and sex of individuals tested for anti-HCV in participating centres, October - December 2007
| Female | Male | Unknown | Total | |||||
| Age, years | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| 1-14 | 223 | 2 (0.9) | 237 | 3(1.3) | 5 | 0 (0.0) | 465 | 5 (1.1) |
| 15-24 | 3,602 | 40 (1.1) | 2,506 | 40 (1.6) | 119 | 0 (0.0) | 6,227 | 80 (1.3) |
| 25-34 | 3,822 | 153 (4.0) | 3,972 | 227 (5.7) | 250 | 5 (2.0) | 8,044 | 385 (4.8) |
| 35-44 | 2,887 | 119 (4.1) | 3,879 | 346 (8.9) | 215 | 11 (5.1) | 6,981 | 476 (6.8) |
| 45-54 | 1,825 | 70 (3.8) | 2,163 | 196 (9.1) | 108 | 5 (4.6) | 4,096 | 271 (6.6) |
| 55-64 | 1,422 | 42 (3.0) | 1,562 | 86 (5.5) | 49 | 3 (6.1) | 3,033 | 131 (4.3) |
| 65 plus | 1,763 | 19 (1.1) | 1,942 | 28 (1.4) | 52 | 0 (0.0) | 3,757 | 47 (1.3) |
| Unknown | 34 | 1 (2.9) | 47 | 4 (8.5) | 77 | 4 (5.2) | 158 | 9 (5.7) |
| Total, all age groups | 15,578 | 446 (2.9) | 16,308 | 930 (5.7) | 875 | 28 (3.2) | 32,761 | 1,404 (4.3) |
Figure 1 shows the five-weekly moving average for number of people tested for anti-HCV and percentage positive over the last year (January 2007 to December 2007) for the 19 centres from which full data were available.
Figure 1. Five-weekly moving average of number of people tested, and percentage positive, for anti-HCV between January 2007 and December 2007
2. Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) testing
a) Antenatal HBsAg testing
During the last quarter of 2007, a total of 17,252 individuals were identified as undergoing antenatal testing for HBsAg in 19 participating sentinel centres (Table 3). Of these, 0.6% (n=104) were positive. This is the first time these individuals had been reported to the sentinel surveillance scheme.
Variation in levels of testing by region will reflect local antenatal testing arrangements in each area; for example, in some areas the majority of antenatal screening is carried out by National Blood Service laboratories which do not participate in sentinel surveillance.
Individuals identified as undergoing antenatal testing comprised 29.8% of all individuals tested for HBsAg in participating laboratories during the last quarter of 2007.
Table 3. Number of individuals tested, and testing positive, for HBsAg through antenatal screening in participating laboratories, October . December 2007.
| Region (number of centres) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| East Midlands (1) | 13 | 0 (0.0) |
| East of England (1) | 840 | 1 (0.1) |
| London (5) | 3,409 | 39 (1.1) |
| North East* (1) | 1 | 0 (0.0) |
| North West (5) | 4,328 | 22 (0.5) |
| South Central (1) | 914 | 1 (0.1) |
| South East Coast (1) | 1,527 | 5 (0.3) |
| South West (1) | 3,042 | 14 (0.5) |
| West Midlands (1) | 69 | 1 (1.4) |
| Yorkshire & the Humber (2) | 3,109 | 21 (0.7) |
| Total, all regions (19) | 17,252 | 104 (0.6) |
* As noted above, changes in sample referral patterns in this region mean that a large proportion of hepatitis testing is now carried out by local hospitals rather than the sentinel laboratory, which may account for the low level of testing seen here.
b) Non-antenatal HBsAg testing
During the last quarter of 2007, a total of 40,612 individuals were tested for HBsAg in 19 participating sentinel centres, excluding antenatal testing (Table 4). Of these, 2.2% (n=889) were positive. This is the first time these individuals had been reported to the sentinel surveillance scheme.
Table 4. Number of individuals tested, and testing positive, for HBsAg in participating centres (excluding antenatal testing), October - December 2007
| Region (number of centres) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| East Midlands (1) | 3,753 | 45 (1.2) |
| East of England (1) | 2,338 | 22 (0.9) |
| London (5) | 11,909 | 397 (3.3) |
| North East (1) | 455 | 1 (0.2) |
| North West (5) | 7,625 | 187 (2.5) |
| South Central (1) | 1,300 | 15 (1.2) |
| South East Coast (1) | 2,739 | 28 (1.0) |
| South West (1) | 4,233 | 67 (1.6) |
| Wales* | 17 | 0 (0.0) |
| West Midlands (1) | 1,809 | 24 (1.3) |
| Yorkshire & the Humber (2) | 4,434 | 103 (2.3) |
| Total, all regions (19) | 40,612 | 889 (2.2) |
* Although there are no sentinel centres outside England, limited first-line testing from general practices in Wales is carried out by sentinel centres in the North West and is therefore included here.
Table 5 shows the age and sex of individuals tested for HBsAg in participating centres (excluding antenatal testing) during the last quarter of 2007.
Table 5. Age and sex of individuals tested for HBsAg in participating centres (excluding antenatal testing), October - December 2007
| Female | Male | Unknown | Total | |||||
| Age, years | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| Under 1 year | 61 | 1 (1.6) | 80 | 1 (1.2) | 7 | 0 (0.0) | 148 | 2 (1.4) |
| 1-14 years | 276 | 7 (2.5) | 294 | 5 (1.7) | 9 | 0 (0.0) | 579 | 12 (2.1) |
| 15-24 years | 5,586 | 56 (1.0) | 3,394 | 68 (2.0) | 173 | 2 (1.2) | 9,153 | 126 (1.4) |
| 25-34 years | 6,260 | 126 (2.0) | 4,525 | 151 (3.3) | 262 | 13 (5.0) | 1,1047 | 290 (2.6) |
| 35-44 years | 3,601 | 65 (1.8) | 4,134 | 136 (3.3) | 212 | 15 (7.1) | 7,947 | 216 (2.7) |
| 45-54 years | 1,886 | 42 (2.2) | 2,444 | 80 (3.3) | 108 | 3 (2.8) | 4,438 | 125 (2.8) |
| 55-64 years | 1,390 | 25 (1.8) | 1,744 | 37 (2.1) | 47 | 1 (2.1) | 3,181 | 63 (2.0) |
| .65 years | 1,798 | 15 (0.8) | 2,072 | 36 (1.7) | 46 | 0 (0.0) | 3,916 | 51 (1.3) |
| Unknown | 59 | 1 (1.7) | 56 | 1 (1.8) | 88 | 2 (2.3) | 203 | 4 (2.0) |
| Total, all age groups | 20,917 | 338 (1.6) | 18,743 | 515 (2.7) | 952 | 36 (3.8) | 40,612 | 889 (2.2) |
Figure 2 shows the five-weekly moving average for number of people tested for HBsAg and percentage positive over the last year (excluding antenatal testing; January 2007 to December 2007) for the 19 centres from which full data were available.
Figure 2. Five-weekly moving average of number of people tested, and percentage positive, for HBsAg between January 2007 and December 2007 (excluding antenatal testing).
Please note difference in scales to Figure 1.
3. Hepatitis A IgM testing
The sentinel surveillance study also collects data on testing for hepatitis A-specific IgM antibody (anti-HAV IgM), a marker of acute hepatitis A infection. Table 6 shows the number of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HAV IgM in sentinel laboratories between October and December 2007.
Table 6. Number of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HAV IgM in participating centres, October . December 2007
| Region (number of centres) | Number tested | Number positive |
| East Midlands (1) | 956 | 1 |
| East of England (1) | 403 | 0 |
| London (5) | 876 | 8 |
| North East* (1) | 3 | 0 |
| North West (5) | 1,050 | 1 |
| South Central (1) | 235 | 0 |
| South East Coast (1) | 331 | 0 |
| South West (1) | 759 | 7 |
| Wales* | 13 | 0 |
| West Midlands (1) | 364 | 0 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber (2) | 726 | 2 |
| Total, all regions (19) | 5,716 | 19 |
* Although there are no sentinel centres outside England, limited first-line testing from general practices in Wales is carried out by sentinel centres in the North West and is therefore included here.
Table 7 shows the age and sex of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HAV IgM in sentinel laboratories between October and December 2007.
Table 7. Number of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HAV IgM in participating centres, October . December 2007
| Female | Male | Unknown | Total | |||||
| Age, years | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) |
| Under 1 year | 29 | 0 (0.0) | 43 | 0 (0.0) | 2 | 0 (0.0) | 74 | 0 (0.0) |
| 1-14 years | 64 | 0 (0.0) | 80 | 4 (5.0) | 1 | 0 (0.0) | 145 | 4 (2.8) |
| 15-24 years | 322 | 3 (0.9) | 262 | 0 (0.0) | 17 | 0 (0.0) | 601 | 3 (0.5) |
| 25-34 years | 373 | 2 (0.5) | 542 | 2 (0.4) | 33 | 0 (0.0) | 948 | 4 (0.4) |
| 35-44 years | 399 | 1 (0.3) | 650 | 1 (0.2) | 25 | 0 (0.0) | 1,074 | 2 (0.2) |
| 45-54 years | 437 | 1 (0.2) | 540 | 0 (0.0) | 22 | 0 (0.0) | 999 | 1 (0.1) |
| 55-64 years | 414 | 1 (0.2) | 448 | 1 (0.2) | 16 | 0 (0.0) | 878 | 2 (0.2) |
| .65 years | 470 | 2 (0.4) | 493 | 0 (0.0) | 17 | 0 (0.0) | 980 | 2 (0.2) |
| Unknown | 4 | 0 (0.0) | 11 | 1 (9.1) | 2 | 0 (0.0) | 17 | 1 (5.9) |
| Total, all age groups | 2,483 | 10 (0.4) | 3,026 | 9 (0.3) | 133 | 0 (0.0) | 5,642 | 19 (0.3) |
Annual results; 2006
During 2006 (the most recent year for which full data are available), 132,764 individuals over one year of age were tested as part of routine testing for anti-HCV; 5% (n=6,569) were positive.
There is considerable variation in the number of individuals tested and proportion positive between sentinel centres in different regions: this may reflect differences in referral patterns of samples for testing, targeted testing of risk groups and/or genuine regional variations in prevalence among people being tested.
Table 3. Individuals tested for anti-HCV in participating centres, 2006
| Region (number of centres) | Number tested # | Number positive # (%) |
| East Midlands (1) | 7,078 | 263 (3.7) |
| Eastern (1) | 5,055 | 211 (4.2) |
| London (5) | 37,862 | 1,750 (4.6) |
| North East (1) | 3,532 | 111 (3.1) |
| North West (5) | 33,584 | 1,883 (5.6) |
| South East (2) | 9,425 | 228 (2.4) |
| South West (1) * | 8,987 | 781 (8.7) |
| West Midlands (1) | 3,223 | 161 (5.0) |
| Yorkshire and Humberside (3) ** | 24,018 | 1181 (4.9) |
| Total, all centres (20) | 132,764 | 6,569 (5.0) |
** Does not include data from December 2006 from one participating centre, which were not available at the time these data were prepared
# Excludes reference and confirmatory testing. Individuals aged less than one year are excluded, since positive tests in this age group may reflect the presence of passively-acquired maternal antibody rather than true infection. Some duplication of individual patients may occur due to limitations of the information supplied. All data are provisional.
Table 4 shows the age and sex profile of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HCV in participating centres during 2006.
Table 4. Age and sex of individuals tested for anti-HCV in participating centres, 2006
| Female | Male | Unknown | Total | |||||
| Number tested | Number Positive (%) | Number tested | Number Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | Number tested | Number positive (%) | |
| 1-14 | 1,013 | 20 (2.0) | 1,088 | 19 (1.7) | 55 | 4 (7.3) | 2,156 | 43 (2.0) |
| 15-24 | 10,124 | 203 (2.0) | 7,916 | 245 (3.1) | 476 | 8 (1.7) | 18,516 | 456 (2.5) |
| 25-34 | 16,258 | 684 (4.2) | 16,194 | 1,221 (7.5) | 1,138 | 42 (3.7) | 33,590 | 1,947 (5.8) |
| 35-44 | 12,657 | 569 (4.5) | 16,245 | 1,531 (9.4) | 779 | 44 (5.6) | 29,681 | 2,144 (7.2) |
| 45-54 | 7,061 | 376 (5.3) | 9,557 | 841 (8.8) | 367 | 27 (7.4) | 16,985 | 1,244 (7.3) |
| 55-64 | 5,760 | 125 (2.2) | 7,101 | 290 (4.1) | 182 | 16 (8.8) | 13,043 | 431 (3.3) |
| 65 plus | 8,199 | 117 (1.4) | 9,478 | 125 (1.3) | 195 | 7 (3.6) | 17,872 | 249 (1.4) |
| Unknown | 227 | 9 (4.0) | 307 | 36 (11.73) | 387 | 10 (2.6) | 921 | 55 (6.0) |
| TOTAL | 61,299 | 2,103 (3.4) | 67,886 | 4,308 (6.3) | 3,579 | 158 (4.4) | 132,764 | 6,569 (5.0) |
Cumulative results; 2002-2006
Between 2002 and 2006, 494,370 individuals over one year of age were tested as part of routine testing for anti-HCV in 23 participating centres; 5% (n=25,888) were positive.
Since centres have contributed data for different periods of time throughout the study, cumulative regional data for 2002-2006 are not presented here. Table 5 shows the age and sex profile of individuals tested, and testing positive, for anti-HCV in participating centres between 2002 and 2006.
Table 5. Age and sex of individuals tested for anti-HCV in participating centres, 2002-2006
| Female | Male | Unknown | Total | |||||
| Tested | Positive (%) | Tested | Positive (%) | Tested | Positive (%) | Tested | Positive (%) | |
| 1-14 | 3,985 | 87 (2.2) | 4,362 | 95 (2.2) | 346 | 16 (4.6) | 8,693 | 198 (2.3) |
| 15-24 | 37,479 | 922 (2.5) | 29,703 | 1,100 (3.7) | 2,894 | 95 (3.3) | 70,076 | 2,117 (3.0) |
| 25-34 | 57,818 | 2,820 (4.9) | 59,323 | 5,280 (8.9) | 5,402 | 278 (5.1) | 122,543 | 8,378 (6.8) |
| 35-44 | 43,695 | 2,219 (5.1) | 57,046 | 5,774 (10.1) | 3,904 | 239 (6.1) | 104,645 | 8,232 (7.9) |
| 45-54 | 26,350 | 1,208 (4.6) | 35,200 | 2,983 (8.5) | 2,268 | 112 (4.9) | 63,818 | 4,303 (6.7) |
| 55-64 | 22,404 | 460 (2.1) | 26,708 | 888 (3.3) | 1,577 | 47 (3.0) | 50,689 | 1,395 (2.8) |
| 65 plus | 31,871 | 432 (1.4) | 35,829 | 549 (1.5) | 2,245 | 37 (1.6) | 69,945 | 1,018 (1.5) |
| Unknown | 1,240 | 69 (5.6) | 1,596 | 157 (9.8) | 1,125 | 21 (1.9) | 3,961 | 247 (6.2) |
| TOTAL | 224,842 | 8,217 (3.7) | 249,767 | 16,826 (6.7) | 19,761 | 845 (4.3) | 494,370 | 25,888 (5.2) |