Surveillance for chronic hepatitis B virus infection - New York City, June 2008-November 2009.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer worldwide; the estimated prevalence in the United States is 0.3%-0.5%. Each year, approximately 11,500-13,000 persons are newly reported with a positive HBV test to the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). To characterize chronic HBV patients, DOHMH began ongoing enhanced chronic HBV surveillance, selecting a random sample of newly reported cases and collecting more detailed information from the patients' clinicians. This report summarizes investigations of 180 randomly selected HBV cases reported during June 2008-November 2009. Approximately two thirds (67%) of patients were Asian, and the most commonly reported reason for HBV testing was the patient's birth country or race/ethnicity (27%). In 70% of cases, the clinician did not know of any patient risk factors. Sixty-nine percent of clinicians stated that they counseled their patients about notifying close contacts about their infection, and 75% counseled about transmission and prevention. Sixty-two percent did not know their patient's hepatitis A vaccination status despite recommendations. This surveillance effort provided quantitative data on health disparities useful for identifying opportunities for outreach and education, and it showed that not all patients received recommended prevention and treatment services. In response to these findings, DOHMH now routinely distributes HBV patient education materials to populations in need.