Surveillance Programs for Chronic Viral Hepatitis in Three Health Departments

Although chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C are diseases of public health importance, only a few health departments nationally have chronic viral hepatitis under surveillance; these programs rely primarily on direct reporting by medical laboratories. We conducted an evaluation to determine...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Public health reports (1974) 2006-01, Vol.121 (1), p.23-35
Main Authors: Fleming, Douglas T., Zambrowski, Amy, Fong, Felicia, Lombard, Andrea, Mercedes, Lynne, Miller, Claudia, Poujade, Jan, Roome, Aaron, Sullivan, Amy, Finelli, Lyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Case Management
Chronic hepatitis
Comparative studies
Epidemiology
Female
Hepatitis
Hepatitis antigens
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B, Chronic - epidemiology
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C, Chronic - epidemiology
Human viral diseases
Humans
Infections
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Medical screening
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Practice
Practice Articles
Program Evaluation
Public health
Public Health Administration
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Registries
Sentinel Surveillance
Surveillance
United States - epidemiology
Viral diseases
Viral hepatitis
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Summary:Although chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C are diseases of public health importance, only a few health departments nationally have chronic viral hepatitis under surveillance; these programs rely primarily on direct reporting by medical laboratories. We conducted an evaluation to determine if lessons from these programs can guide other health departments. Between December 2002 and February 2003, we visited the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Multnomah County Health Department in Portland, Oregon, and the Minnesota Department of Health to determine the capacity of their chronic hepatitis registries to monitor trends and provide case management. We found that the registries facilitated investigations of potentially acute cases by identifying previously known infections, and aided prevention planning by pinpointing areas where viral hepatitis was being diagnosed. For chronic cases, case management (defined as the process of ensuring that infected individuals and their partners receive medical evaluation, counseling, vaccination, and referral to specialists for treatment when indicated) was provided for hepatitis B in Multnomah County, but was limited in other programs; barriers included resource constraints, difficulties confirming chronic infection, and privacy concerns. Finding innovative ways to overcome these barriers and improve case management is important if chronic hepatitis surveillance is to realize its full potential.
ISSN:0033-3549
1468-2877
DOI:10.1177/003335490612100108