The Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project aims to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in Australia by assessing variation in prevalence and care uptake according to geographic region.
Localised priority-setting is a key objective of recent healthcare reform in Australia, and enhancing access to treatment and care is a priority action in both the National Hepatitis B Strategy 2018-22 and the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2018-22 . Identifying areas where prevalence is high and/or care or treatment uptake is low provides the opportunity to engage with affected communities, prioritise interventions and improve local service delivery in areas of greatest need.
The Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project’s National Report and interactive Online Portal will be updated annually, to reflect both the shifting epidemiology of CHB and CHC in Australia and evaluate the impact of public health and clinical service interventions on increasing access to diagnosis and treatment at a population level over time.
The Project is a joint initiative of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology, The Doherty Institute and ASHM, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health.
For general enquiries about the Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project, or to request a hard copy of the report, contact Sami Stewart at sami.stewart@ashm.org.au or 0431 619 986. To discuss specific data or request additional information for your area, contact Jennifer MacLachlan at Jennifer.maclachlan@mh.org.au.
Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2020 (published 2021) This National Report contains estimates of chronic hepatitis B and C prevalence, treatment and management at a state and territory, Primary Health Network (PHN), and Statistical Area 3 level. This year the report also includes an assessment of the impacts of COVID-19, as well as new data regarding liver cancer incidence and screening uptake. Data included in this report can be further explored using the Online Portal, which provides interactive visualisations of these variations.
This report forms the baseline for assessing Australia’s progress towards meeting the targets set out in the Third National Hepatitis B Strategy and Fifth National Hepatitis C Strategy, which cover the period 2018-2022 and set out clear indicators for progress towards eliminating the impact of viral hepatitis.
Download the Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2020
Download the Third National Hepatitis B Strategy
Download the Fifth National Hepatitis C Strategy
View the recording of the Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2020 - Digital Launch Event here.
The Mapping Project's Online Portal is an interactive tool which allows stakeholders to explore the data presented in the latest National Report on a deeper level, and directly compare regions of interest.
Visit the Online Portal
Download the Online Portal instructions and support
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Estimates of geographic diversity in chronic hepatitis C prevalence and treatment
The First National Hepatitis C Mapping Project Report contains estimates for 2016 on the prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of hepatitis C at the SA3, Primary Health Network and State/Territory level. For the first time, maps illustrating the geographical diversity of CHC prevalence and treatment are included in the report. These highlight local areas where improvements in engagement in care can be made.
These estimates can be used to judge the progress Australia has made towards the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2014-2017 targets, as well as the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021.
Download the First National Hepatitis C Mapping Report
Download the supplementary data
Download the National Hepatitis C Strategy 2014-17
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Estimates of geographic diversity in chronic hepatitis B prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment
The Fourth National Hepatitis B Mapping Report contains updated estimates for 2016 on the prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of hepatitis B at the SA3, Primary Health Network and State/Territory level. For the first time, maps illustrating the geographical diversity of CHB prevalence and treatment are included in the report. These highlight local areas where improvements in engagement in care can be made.
These estimates can be used to assess the progress Australia has made towards the National Hepatitis B Strategy 2014-2017 targets, as well as the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021.
Download the Fourth National Hepatitis B Mapping Report
Download the supplementary data
Download the National Hepatitis B Strategy 2014-17
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Estimates of chronic hepatitis B prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment by Primary Health Networks
The Second National Hepatitis B Mapping Report used national datasets to indicate the current level of diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, as well as vaccination rates and outcomes of infection.
The report serves as a benchmark against which progress in achieving the National Hepatitis B Strategy 2014-2017 targets and priorities can be assessed. It provides detailed information at a national, state/territory and local area level.
Download the Second National Hepatitis B Mapping Report
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The First National Hepatitis B Mapping Report outlines the comprehensive mapping phase of the project, which identifies priority Medicare Locals based on CHB burden along with the major communities affected in each of these areas as gleaned from the 2011 Census.
The report presents the number of people living with CHB in each Medicare Local and the proportion of the population that number represents; what proportion of people living with CHB in each Medicare Local were born overseas or are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; how many speak little or no English; and the geographic breakdown within Medicare Locals according to constituent Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Download the First National Hepatitis B Mapping Report
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Frequently asked questions about the Mapping Project data
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The Mapping Project combines multiple data sources to generate the estimates used, including mathematical models, surveillance notifications data, Medicare records of services provided, prevalence studies, cancer registry data, and immunisation uptake reporting. Details of the methodology are included in the full report (Section C: Data sources and methodology).
A summary of the data source for each of the major indicators reported in the mapping project is available below.
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Indicator
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Definition
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Method of estimation
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Source
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Basis of geographic data
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CHB prevalence
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Proportion of the population that is living with chronic hepatitis B
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Calculated using prevalence data according to population group (e.g. country of birth)
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Mathematical model, seroprevalence studies, and Census data according to population
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Where a person was living when they completed the 2016 Census
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CHB treatment
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Proportion of people living with chronic hepatitis B who are receiving treatment
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Number of individuals prescribed antiviral medications indicated for hepatitis B
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Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data
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Where a person was living when they were prescribed treatment, as recorded in Medicare data
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CHB care (treatment or monitoring)
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Proportion of people living with chronic hepatitis B who received treatment OR viral load monitoring in the past year
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Number of individuals who either received treatment or were provided monitoring
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Medicare Benefits Schedule data
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Where a person was living when they were provided a service or treatment, as recorded in Medicare data
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CHC prevalence
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Proportion of the population that was living with chronic hepatitis C in 2016
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Calculated used national prevalence data assigned according to the distribution of notified cases
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Published national prevalence data and NNDSS data
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Where a person who tested positive was living when they were tested
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CHC treatment
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Proportion of people living with chronic hepatitis C who received treatment in the DAA era
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Number of individuals prescribed direct-acting antiviral medications indicated for hepatitis C during the period March 2016–June 2019
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Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme data
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Where a person was living when they were prescribed treatment
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The Mapping Project reports data for every State and Territory, Primary Health Network, and Statistical Area 3 (SA3).
Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are geographic areas derived as part of the National Health Reform Agenda, and have populations ranging between 60,000 and 1.7 million residents. There are 31 PHNs across Australia.
Each PHN contains multiple SA3s, which are geographic areas defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with populations usually ranging between 30,000 and 130,000 residents.
All geographies used represent residential areas, not service areas – for example, an SA3 represents the place a person was living when they were prescribed their treatment, not the place they picked up their medication or visited their doctor.
To find out which PHN an area is in, or to look up the location and boundaries of an SA3, download the online portal instructions and support.
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The data presented in the Mapping Project are necessarily based on routinely collected information, and therefore there will always be limitations in the ability of this to capture the full diversity of local experience. For specific limitations to the datasets used, see ‘Does the Mapping Project include data for all Australians living with viral hepatitis?‘ and ‘Why do some areas or populations not have data reported?’ above.
The geographic areas used collapse a diverse community into a single measure, and the overall estimate may vary widely from individual parts within it (as can be seen by the high within-PHN diversity by SA3). Each PHN contains between 300 and 2,000 GPs, and each clinician or service may see a population that is different from the average for that area.
In addition, data are subject to significant time lags given the extensive detail incorporated into geographic estimates, and therefore recent changes or initiatives may not be reflected in the current version of the report, but will be in future updates.
The Mapping Project is continuously evolving and responding to newly available data, and we welcome feedback and information from people working in the viral hepatitis sector, particularly local data which may be able to further enhance our estimates. If you would like to discuss further, please contact Jennifer MacLachlan at (Jennifer.maclachlan@mh.org.au).
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Under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), content from the Mapping Project National Report and Online Portal may not be reproduced without written permission. However the Mapping Project is designed for public use, and stakeholders are encouraged to make use of the content to identify diversity in access to treatment and care and prioritise service delivery in local areas. If you would like to use any of the images presented in the full report in a presentation, you can download the slide set.
For screenshot images taken from the National Report or the Online Portal, please attribute these to the Mapping Project, as this allows others to find out more about the source of the information and find their own localised data.
Suggested citation(s):
WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis The Doherty Institute & ASHM. Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2018-19.
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