Re-reporting and diagnosis of hepatitis C in China

Objective To evaluate quality of hepatitis C reporting and diagnosis of hepatitis C in China and provide evidence for the further improvement of hepatitis C surveillance. Methods The reported incidence data of hepatitis C in China during 2009-2011 were collected from national disease surveillance information system to calculate the overall and annual re-reporting rate of hepatitis C. Results The overall re-reporting rate of hepatitis C in China during 2009-2011 was 3.8%, and the rate was 1.2% in Tianjin, 2.7% in Jilin, 1.4% in Zhejiang, 4.4% in Henan, and 2.9% in Guangdong. The average annual re-reporting rate of hepatitis C in China during this period was 6.9%, and the rate was 2.9% in Tianjin, 6.1% in Jilin, 4.5% in Zhejiang, 7.7% in Henan, and 5.6% in Guangdong. A total of 154 122 laboratory diagnosed hepatitis C cases were reported from 8680 medical institutions. Among 517 medical institutions surveyed in five provinces, 48.4% had no qualified laboratory capability for HCV RNA testing. Among the 857 laboratory diagnosed hepatitis C cases, 32.8% met the reporting standard of hepatitis C. Conclusion The real-name management of network direct reporting should be strengthened to reduce the re-reporting of hepatitis C. It is also necessary to strengthen the clinical diagnosis and reporting management of hepatitis C, improve laboratory diagnostic capability, strengthen the supervision, surveillance and health education