Laboratory reports of hepatitis C in England and Wales: April to June 2021
Updated 4 August 2022
Applies to England and Wales
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-england-and-wales-2021/laboratory-reports-of-hepatitis-c-in-england-and-wales-april-to-june-2021
Between April and June 2021, a total of 2,432 laboratory reports of hepatitis C were reported to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) (previously Public Health England (PHE)).
There was a 103% increase in the number of reports compared to the second quarter of 2020 (n=1,193). This increase may signify that the impact of COVID-19 on health services including diagnostic testing for hepatitis C has decreased.
Since 2017, one laboratory in the North West of England has undertaken hepatitis C dried blood spot (DBS) testing alongside hepatitis C routine laboratory testing. This single laboratory has taken on testing for a large part of the country – however, some samples where geographical information is lacking may have been incorrectly assigned to this specific laboratory rather than the laboratory from which the sample originated.
Age and sex were well reported (96% complete). Where sex was known, males accounted for 69% (1,597 of 2,330) of reports which is consistent with previous quarters and years.
Adults aged 35 to 54 years accounted for 56% of the total number of hepatitis C reports.
Table 1. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C in England and Wales, April to June 2021
| Age group | Male | Female | Unknown | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 years | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 5 to 9 years | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 10 to 14 years | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 to 24 years | 28 | 22 | 5 | 55 |
| 25 to 34 years | 238 | 146 | 17 | 401 |
| 35 to 44 years | 538 | 208 | 23 | 769 |
| 45 to 54 years | 398 | 147 | 26 | 571 |
| 55 to 64 years | 245 | 117 | 2 | 364 |
| ≥65 years | 124 | 78 | 2 | 204 |
| Unknown | 23 | 11 | 26 | 60 |
| Total | 1,597 | 733 | 102 | 2,432 |
Individuals aged under 1 year are excluded, since positive tests in this age group may reflect the presence of passively-acquired maternal antibody rather than true infection.
Laboratory reports are not reliable for differentiating acute and chronic hepatitis C infections. Laboratory reports include individuals with a positive test for hepatitis C antibody, antigen and/or detection of hepatitis C RNA.
A small proportion of these specimens are diagnosed following DBS testing, however not all DBS testing is reported by laboratories.
In Table 2, laboratory reports are presented broken down by Operational Delivery Network (ODN). ODNs were launched in July 2013 following the publication of the NHS England strategy to sustain and develop clinical networks.
ODNs are the networks through which hepatitis C treatment is being delivered across England. Between April and June 2021, 2,320 out of 2,336 individuals in England have been allocated to an ODN.
Table 2. Laboratory reports of hepatitis C by Operational Delivery Network, April to June 2021
| Primary ODN | Total |
|---|---|
| Barts | 98 |
| Birmingham | 216 |
| Bristol and Severn | 95 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 96 |
| Eastern Hepatitis Network | 94 |
| Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire | 153 |
| Humberside and North Yorkshire | 36 |
| Kent Network via Kings | 41 |
| Lancashire and South Cumbria | 90 |
| Leicester | 64 |
| North Central London | 193 |
| North East and Cumbria | 185 |
| Nottingham | 87 |
| South Thames Hepatitis Network | 1 |
| South West Peninsula | 179 |
| South Yorkshire | 79 |
| Surrey Hepatitis Services | 79 |
| Sussex Hepatology Network | 75 |
| Thames Valley Hep C ODN | 72 |
| Wessex Hep C ODN | 57 |
| West London | 61 |
| West Yorkshire | 161 |
ODNs are based on NHS England Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) geographic boundaries. NHS England allocates a primary or lead ODN for CCGs which may cross more than one ODN.