Mapping progress in chronic hepatitis B: geographic variation in prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, 2013–15

Abstract

The CHB burden in Australia is significant and highly geographically focused, with notable disparities in access to care across Australia. Implications for public health: Efforts to improve progress toward National Strategy targets should focus on priority areas where the prevalence of CHB is substantial but access to treatment and care remains low.

Epidemiology of chronic hepatitis B and C in Victoria, Australia: insights and impacts from enhanced surveillance

“…5 Liver cancer, predominantly attributable to viral hepatitis infection, is Australia's fastest increasing cause of cancer death. 6 Despite the availability of effective testing and treatment, significant improvements are needed in access to diagnosis and care in order to prevent adverse outcomes in those affected by HBV, 7,8 while the recent availability of highly effective new treatments for HCV has raised the possibility of elimination of infection in Australia. 9 High-quality, up-to-date information regarding the epidemiological characteristics of those most affected is crucial for enhancing both public health and clinical responses.…”

Antenatal maternal hepatitis B care is a predictor of timely perinatal administration of hepatitis B immunoglobulin

“…Monash Health is a government‐funded tertiary hospital network providing 2.44 million episodes of care per year to a catchment area of 1.34 million people living in southeast Melbourne, Australia. This region is ranked ninth in Australia for prevalence of CHB with a rate of 1.10% in 2014 . Monash Women's maternity service is the largest maternity provider in Victoria and provides primary, secondary and tertiary care for 9000 women each year across three hospital sites.…”

Bridging the access gap: Medicare ineligibility in people living with chronic hepatitis B

“…In order to explore the extent of this issue, we collected and analysed data from a variety of sources to estimate the number of people living in Australia with CHB who are potentially ineligible for Medicare coverage. Current estimates of the number of people living with CHB are based on a combination of Census data (which includes all residents, regardless of immigration status) and published seroprevalence estimates derived from linkage of notifications data and antenatal testing records, among other sources . This analysis combined those seroprevalence estimates with data recording the number of people residing in Australia at 31 December 2016 whose residency status was temporary, including students, skilled migrants and those on bridging visas .…”