Better health and ageing for all Australians

Blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections

First National Hepatitis B Strategy

The National Hepatitis B Strategy 2010-2013 is the first national strategy on this disease to be adopted in Australia. It is one of a suite of five strategies aiming to reduce the transmission of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) and blood borne viruses (BBVs), and the morbidity, mortality and personal and social impacts they cause.

In this section:

    Trends

    • Hepatitis B is a blood borne and sexually transmitted viral infection. The virus is transmitted either through percutaneous (puncture of skin) or mucosal exposure to contaminated blood or body fluids. Serum, semen and saliva can be infectious for hepatitis B. The liver is the major site of hepatitis B viral replication.
    • An estimated 170 000 people were living in Australia in 2010 with hepatitis B infection. An estimated 335 deaths in 2010 were attributable to chronic hepatitis B infection.
    • In 2010 there were 229 diagnosis of newly acquired hepatitis B down from 292 in 2006.
    • The per capita rate of diagnosis of hepatitis B infection in Australia in 2006 – 2010 was stable at around 31 per 100 000 population. The rate of diagnosis of newly acquired hepatitis B infection declined from 1.4 to 1.0 per 100 000 population between 2006 and 2010.
    • In 2010, chronic hepatitis B infection was the underlying cause of liver disease in 3.1% of liver transplants (192 in 2010).

    Links to other strategies

    Guidelines/Information Sheets/Publications

    HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Report 2011, published by the Kirby Institute for infection and immunity in society (formally the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR)).

    A list of publications is available from the publications page.