Health Protection Report

The sentinel surveillance of blood borne virus testing began in 2002, with the aim of supplementing the routine surveillance of hepatitis. Information on the testing carried out in participating centres is collected irrespective of test result and can therefore also be used as a basis for estimating prevalence among those tested. These data have enhanced our knowledge and understanding of hepatitis testing, in terms of who is being tested and from which service types individuals are accessing testing, and also in interpreting trends in the number of positive individuals identified over time. In 2012, sentinel centres represented all regions in England, covering approximately 40% of the population undergoing first line testing for hepatitis A, B or C, and over 80% of the population tested for hepatitis D or E (Supplementary Figure 1).