Enhanced surveillance for hepatitis B and C: insights into clinical care after diagnosis.

BACKGROUND

There are known gaps in care uptake for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, and public health surveillance represents an opportunity to support health service engagement for cases; however, specific data are lacking regarding follow-up after diagnosis. We assessed outcomes of a Victorian initiative to enhance data availability and to support linkage to care.

METHODS

Notified cases of HBV and HCV within Victoria during 2023-2024 were analysed to determine post-diagnosis follow-up, including variation by demographics and setting, and reported reasons for lack of linkage to care.

RESULTS

Information was available for two-thirds of cases. For HBV, 37.7% reported current treatment or management, while 53.6% reported referral or assessment in progress; for HCV, these proportions were 33.3% and 54.7%. Reasons for gaps included loss to follow-up, cost barriers, and misapplication of HBV treatment criteria.

DISCUSSION: Cascade of care information can be effectively collected via public health surveillance, and these systems represent an opportunity to support prioritisation of public health follow-up.