Eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 requires support and funding from organizations large and small.
May 22, 2023 • By Laura Schmidt,  hep magazine

In an opinion piece, author and global health advocate Chelsea Clinton emphasized the importance of education, vaccination and treatment for people living with viral hepatitis, which affects almost 400 million people worldwide and kills more than 1 million each year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The article was cowritten by Finn Jarle Rose, the executive director of The Hepatitis Fund.
Almost 90% of people living with hepatitis do not know their status. Clinton compared the testing rates for hepatitis C virus (HCV) with those for HIV during the early years of that epidemic. “But it doesn’t have to be this way,” she wrote.
The WHO’s goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030 is achievable. In fact, Egypt, which once had one of the highest rates of hepatitis C virus in the world, recently succeeded in eliminating HCV in its entire population. It did so “through a partnership approach that engaged civil society, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations to mobilize the community and increase rates of screening, diagnosis, and treatment,” wrote Clinton.

​TO CONTINUE: https://www.hepmag.com/article/chelsea-clinton-weighs-viral-hepatitis-elimination-goal

MAY 18, 2023   THE WHITE HOUSE - BRIEFING ROOM- PRESiDENTIAL ACTIONS

Thousands of Americans die every year of viral hepatitis — infections of the liver that can be managed or cured if patients know they are infected and can get treatment.  On National Hepatitis Testing Day, we urge Americans to get tested and recommit to ensuring that those who are diagnosed can receive lifesaving care.     Viral hepatitis is a hidden epidemic.  For those with hepatitis C, which spreads through contact with infected blood and is the most common strain, it can be years between the time someone is infected and when they first present symptoms, leaving far too many unaware that they are sick.  This can further spread the virus, delay treatment, and lead to serious liver disease — including cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death.  Pregnant women with untreated hepatitis C can also pass the virus on to their newborns.  It disproportionately affects Black Americans and Native Americans, who too often cannot access quality health care, and it is more common among those experiencing homelessness and those who are incarcerated as more than a third of people in a jail or prison can be positive at a given time.  The good news is that we now have a cure for hepatitis C that is 95 percent effective — but its high cost, among other factors, has kept it from many of the more than 2 million Americans in need.
     My new Budget includes a bold plan to change that this decade — ending hepatitis C as a public health threat by expanding testing, slashing the high cost of treatment, and promoting awareness of the risks and the cure.  It draws on work that the Department of Veterans Affairs has done in treating more than 100,000 affected veterans since 2014.  My plan would make testing quicker and simpler with more point-of-care diagnostic tests so patients can be tested and treated in a single visit, rather than having to return several times before determining their infection status.  It would pioneer innovative approaches to treating hepatitis C, including a national antiviral subscription model, so more Americans can get affordable care and taxpayers can save billions of dollars through prevention and the reduced need for treatment of advanced liver diseases.  My plan would also support grassroots public health groups; train more health care professionals; and expand mobile, telehealth, and community sites focused on hepatitis testing and care.  And it would boost progress toward a hepatitis C vaccine.

​TOCONTINUE:https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/05/18/a-proclamation-on-national-hepatitis-testing-day-2023/​

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Content From: HIV.gov•Published:May 03, 2023
Topics
Hepatitis A Hepatitis Awareness Month Hepatitis B Hepatitis CHepatitis Testing Day

May is Hepatitis Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness that viral hepatitis continues to be a major public health threat in the United States. While we bring attention to viral hepatitis this month, we also recognize that the epidemic of viral hepatitis does not occur in a vacuum, but interacts with other diseases like HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and substance use disorders, also known as a syndemic.

A syndemic is the clustering and interaction of two or more diseases, impacted by social and structural determinants of health (SDOH), that leads to excess burden of disease in a population. As an example, people with HIV have a higher risk for viral hepatitis and worse health outcomes than people without HIV. Therefore, those impacted by any part of the syndemic need to be made aware of and have access to the different prevention and treatment tools for viral hepatitis, including hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccinations, hepatitis B and hepatitis C screening, and hepatitis B and hepatitis C treatment.

The Viral Hepatitis National Strategic Plan 2021-2025 (PDF, 1.68MB) and National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022-2025 (PDF, 1.76MB) both recommend a syndemic approach that is, a no-wrong-door-approach to healthcare services for viral hepatitis and HIV. When people get tested for HIV, they should also be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and STIs. When people are treated for substance use, they should be screened for HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs and connected to appropriate services.

Below is information about new viral hepatitis resources.
TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.hiv.gov/blog/hepatitis-awareness-month-recognizing-the-syndemic-of-viral-hepatitis-hiv-stis-and-substance-use-disorder/​

When Ju Park was studying epidemiology in graduate school, she volunteered with a harm reduction organization that trained local community members on how to prevent a drug overdose. She traveled around the state to demonstrate how the medication naloxone can be used to reverse an overdose from opioids if administered in a timely manner.
After one session, a mother whose daughter had a substance abuse disorder approached Park to share a heartbreaking story: The daughter, who had been in and out of rehabilitation centers, recently experienced a relapse. She locked herself into a bathroom alone, overdosed on drugs, and died. The mother expressed gratitude for the naloxone training and told Park that she was eager to do more to help other families dealing with addiction. Park couldn't bear to tell the woman what she was thinking: Training bystanders how to administer naloxone wouldn't have saved her daughter, because nobody had been present to help.
"It made me wonder: What are we doing to help people who are using drugs alone and in secret?" recalled Park, who is now an assistant professor of epidemiology (research) at Brown University's School of Public Health and an assistant professor of medicine (research) at Brown's Warren Alpert Medical School.

That question continued to preoccupy Park as she established the Harm Reduction Innovation Lab at Rhode Island Hospital with the mission to develop, implement and evaluate interventions to promote the health and well-being of people who use drugs.

TO CONTINUE READING:  https://www.mdlinx.com/news/when-naloxone-isn-t-enough-how-technology-can-save-lives-when-people-use-drugs-when-they-re-alone/5Eienzx2HxwHLrSHx33A1J?show_order=2&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_230509_daily-nl-am-v3_registered-users-a90&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email