Hepatitis B prevalence in women giving birth in the Northern Territory, Australia, 2005–2015

Authors

  • Amalie Dyda School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Queensland, Australia
  • Skye McGregor Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia
  • Paula Binks Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
  • Jane Davies Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
  • Steven YC Tong Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia; Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Doherty Department University of Melbourne, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Victoria, Australia
  • Vicki Krause Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Unit, Top End Health Service, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
  • Peter Markey Centre for Disease Control, Public Health Unit, Top End Health Service, Northern Territory Government Department of Health, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
  • Shu li Qin Li Department of Health, Northern Territory Government, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
  • Joshua S Davies Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
  • John M Kaldor Kirby Institute, University of NSW, Sydney, Australia
  • Bette Liu School of Public Health and Community Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2022.46.62

Keywords:

Hepatitis B, prevalence, Australia, epidemiology, data linkage

Abstract

Background
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in the Northern Territory (NT) was funded for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander newborns in 1988 and for all newborns in 1990. The prevalence of HBV in the Northern Territory was found to be higher in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women than in non-Indigenous women across 2005–2010. We examined more recent data to assess whether the gap remains.
Methods
We linked data from two routinely collected registries, the NT Perinatal Register and the NT Notifiable Diseases System, to investigate the prevalence of HBV infection, according to eligibility for infant HBV vaccination, in women giving birth during 2005–2015.
Results
There were 22,781 women recorded as giving birth in public hospitals in the Northern Territory during 2005–2015. Hepatitis B virus prevalence was highest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (1.8%) and overseas-born women (1.8%). Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, estimated hepatitis B virus prevalence was significantly higher in those born before the implementation of the vaccination program than in those born afterwards (2.4% versus 0.3%). Prevalence was highest amongst those living in very remote areas, both overall (2.2%) and within the birth cohort eligible for HBV vaccination.
Conclusions
Hepatitis B virus prevalence in Northern Territory Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women appears to be declining as more individuals vaccinated as part of infant vaccination programs reach adulthood. Prevalence remains highest in remote areas, highlighting the importance of ongoing monitoring and of promoting vaccination in these regions.

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Published

26/09/22

How to Cite

Dyda, Amalie, Skye McGregor, Paula Binks, Jane Davies, Steven YC Tong, Vicki Krause, Peter Markey, et al. 2022. “Hepatitis B Prevalence in Women Giving Birth in the Northern Territory, Australia, 2005–2015”. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 46 (September). https://doi.org/10.33321/cdi.2022.46.62.

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Vol. 46 (2022)

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Original article

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