Acute hepatitis B infection in Aboriginal Australians

Abstract

Abstract: The apparent incidence of acute hepatitis B infection in the Top End of the Northern Territory was estimated from notification data and hospital data to be 12 per 100 000 per year, with a marked difference between Aborigines (42 per 100 000) and non‐Aborigines (4 per 100 000), and an odds ratio of 9.7 (95 per cent confidence intervals 3 to 33). Sixty percent of Aboriginal cases of acute hepatitis B occurred in children under 10 years of age, whereas non‐Aboriginal cases occurred in adults aged 20 to 29, most with behavioural risk factors. These findings confirm the importance of immunising Aboriginal children to reduce the future incidence of hepatitis B infection and hepatoma. 199..