Kimberly Green, PATH’s programme director for HIV, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases in Vietnam, speaks about a new initiative to increase access to HCV screening, diagnosis and treatment service for high-risk populations in HCM City (Photo courtesy of PATH) HCM City (VNA) - People at risk of contracting hepatitis C virus (HCV) will be able toaccess more convenient testing options and information through a new initiativelaunched on February 1 in HCM City.
The community-based HCV/HIV intervention project increases access to HCVscreening, diagnosis and treatment for high-risk populations in the city.
Under the project, which will end in October, a total of 5,000 people at riskwill receive HCV information, and 2,500 clients will have HCV rapid diagnostictesting, said Tran Thi Huong Lien, project coordinator.
The testing, which is available at community-led privateclinics, only requires a small amount of blood from the prick of a finger.
Ninety percent of HCV-reactive clients will receive confirmatory testing andcounselling on treatment options, Lien said.
Although up to 4 percent of the population in Vietnam are exposed to HCV, andfrom 29 to more than 90 percent of populations with higher risk, such aspeople who inject drugs and men who have sex with men, are exposed to HCV, onlya small proportion with the disease know they are infected, according toKimberly Green, PATH’s programme director for HIV, tuberculosis, andnon-communicable diseases in Vietnam.
Only a vastly reduced proportion of those diagnosed with HCV have access to andcomplete entire course of treatment, she said.
This is despite the fact that HCV is curable and newer direct acting antiviralsare available that can treat HCV early in the course of disease and preventmorbidity and early death due to cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer, sheadded.
However, with rapid point-of-care testing, and lower-cost, direct-actingantivirals that are pan-genotypic and can be used for all HCV genotypes, theopportunity to identify, treat and work towards eliminating HCV are strongerthan ever before, Green said.
Similar to HIV, the HCV virus is spread through the blood or body fluids of aninfected person through unprotected sex or shared needles.
The project is being implemented by the HCM City Provincial AIDS Centre incoordination with PATH, an international non-profit organisation, GileadSciences, and private clinics in the city.-VNA
The community-based HCV/HIV intervention project increases access to HCVscreening, diagnosis and treatment for high-risk populations in the city.
Under the project, which will end in October, a total of 5,000 people at riskwill receive HCV information, and 2,500 clients will have HCV rapid diagnostictesting, said Tran Thi Huong Lien, project coordinator.
The testing, which is available at community-led privateclinics, only requires a small amount of blood from the prick of a finger.
Ninety percent of HCV-reactive clients will receive confirmatory testing andcounselling on treatment options, Lien said.
Although up to 4 percent of the population in Vietnam are exposed to HCV, andfrom 29 to more than 90 percent of populations with higher risk, such aspeople who inject drugs and men who have sex with men, are exposed to HCV, onlya small proportion with the disease know they are infected, according toKimberly Green, PATH’s programme director for HIV, tuberculosis, andnon-communicable diseases in Vietnam.
Only a vastly reduced proportion of those diagnosed with HCV have access to andcomplete entire course of treatment, she said.
This is despite the fact that HCV is curable and newer direct acting antiviralsare available that can treat HCV early in the course of disease and preventmorbidity and early death due to cirrhosis, liver failure and cancer, sheadded.
However, with rapid point-of-care testing, and lower-cost, direct-actingantivirals that are pan-genotypic and can be used for all HCV genotypes, theopportunity to identify, treat and work towards eliminating HCV are strongerthan ever before, Green said.
Similar to HIV, the HCV virus is spread through the blood or body fluids of aninfected person through unprotected sex or shared needles.
The project is being implemented by the HCM City Provincial AIDS Centre incoordination with PATH, an international non-profit organisation, GileadSciences, and private clinics in the city.-VNA
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