Fact sheets

Hepatitis B web page

Hepatitis B fact sheet (PDF 68KB)

Public Health action

• Australian immunisation handbook

• OD 0092/07 Policy for Health Care Workers with Blood-born Virus Infections

• OD 0091/07 Management of Occupational Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids in the Health Care Setting

• OD 0237/09 Hepatitis B Vaccination Program
  

• OP 0146/08 Guidelines for the Provision of Hepatitis A and B Vaccine to Adults in Western Australia at Risk of Acquiring These Infections by Sexual Transmission and Injecting Drug Use
  

• OD 0057/07 Provision of Sterile Needles and Syringes from Rural and Regional Hospitals to People Who Inject Drugs
  

• Guidelines for Managing Sexually Transmitted Infections. A guide for primary health care providers
  

• Code of Practice for Skin Penetration Procedures

• Communicable Disease Guidelines for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners. Department of Health, Western Australia

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Up-to-date Hepatitis B notification data

• General infectious disease reports

Additional sources of information

• Control of Communicable Diseases Manual  

Case definition

Only confirmed cases should be notified.

Hepatitis B (newly acquired)

Confirmed case

A confirmed case requires laboratory definitive evidence only.

Laboratory definitive evidence

1. Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in a patient shown to be negative within the last 24 months
OR

2. Detection of HBsAg and IgM to hepatitis B core antigen, in the absence of prior evidence of hepatitis B virus infection
OR

3. Detection of hepatitis B virus by nucleic acid testing, and IgM to hepatitis B core antigen, in the absence of prior evidence of hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis B (unspecified)

Confirmed case

A confirmed case requires laboratory definitive evidence AND that the case does not meet any of the criteria for a newly acquired case.

Laboratory definitive evidence

Detection of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), or hepatitis B virus by nucleic acid testing, in a patient with no prior evidence of hepatitis B virus infection.