Hepatitis C
Fact sheet2 - Health conditions directory
Hepatitis is a disease or inflammation of the liver. Hepatitis C infection is caused by the hepatitis c virus which is transmitted through blood to blood contact.
Hepatitis C is one of the most serious types of hepatitis. When a person is first infected with hepatitis C they may have short-term symptoms known as an acute infection. After the acute infection stage, most people do not get rid of the virus from their body. The virus stays in their body and may cause ongoing disease of the liver. This can cause long-term problems and is called chronic infection. People who have chronic infection can pass the infection on to other people. They are carriers of hepatitis C.
Public health management guidelines
- Read Queensland Health guidelines for public health units3
- Read Communicable Diseases Network Australia Guidelines4
Notification
Pathology laboratories
Notification resources
- List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions7
- List of Public Health Unit8 contacts
- Notifiable conditions report form for Queensland doctors/clinicians (PHA S70) or person in charge of a Hospital (PHA S71)9 (PDF, 77kB) - if faxing notification, follow up by phone.
Enhanced surveillance for Public Health Units
- Case report form (newly acquired)10 (PDF, 279kB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.
Clinical guidelines
Resources for health professionals
- Management of occupational exposure to blood and body fluids13 (PDF, 247kB) - this guideline provides the minimum recommended procedures for the immediate assessment, management and follow-up of individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to blood borne viruses (BBV), and recommendations for initiation of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in occupational settings.
- Hepatitis C information for Queensland's health professionals14 - includes links to the We need to talk about Hep C awareness campaign materials designed to encourage people to get tested for the condition.
Related information
- Accidental needle stick injury in public places15 - Queensland Health fact sheet for the general public.
Epidemiological data and reports
- View communicable diseases data for notifiable conditions in Queensland16 and blood borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections surveillance reports17.
- The Kirby Institute usually reports annually on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. The data, including full data tables and charts as well as additional information, can be found on the Kirby Institute's data site18. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, data has been compiled into a national summary for 2009-201819.