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Australian national notifiable diseases case definitions

Hepatitis C (newly acquired) case definition

This document contains the case definitions for Hepatitis C - newly acquired which is nationally notifiable within Australia. This definition should be used to determine whether a case should be notified.

Australian national notifiable diseases case definitions - Hepatitis C (newly acquired)

Reporting

Only confirmed cases should be notified.

Confirmed case

A confirmed case requires either:

1. Laboratory definitive evidence

OR

2. Laboratory suggestive evidence AND clinical evidence.

Laboratory definitive evidence

1. Detection of anti-hepatitis C antibody from a person who has had a negative anti-hepatitis C antibody test recorded within the past 24 months

OR

2. Detection of hepatitis C virus by nucleic acid testing from a person who has had a negative anti-hepatitis C antibody test result within the past 24 months

OR

3. Detection of anti-hepatitis C antibody from a child aged 18 to 24 months

OR

4. Detection of hepatitis C virus by nucleic acid testing in a child aged 1 to 24 months.

Laboratory suggestive evidence

Detection of anti-hepatitis C antibody, or hepatitis C virus by nucleic acid testing.

Clinical evidence

Clinical hepatitis within the past 24 months (where other causes of acute hepatitis have been excluded) defined as

1. Jaundice

OR

2. Bilirubin in urine

OR

3. Alanine transaminase (ALT) seven times the upper limit of normal.