New York aims for a 90% reduction in people living with HCV and an 80% increase in people being treated and cured by 2030.
July 8, 2024 • By Laura Schmidt hep New York state is ramping up efforts to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030 by increasing screening, treatment and more, according to Spectrum News. Hepatitis C (HCV) is a contagious but curable disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. HCV is a blood-borne virus that can cause lifelong infection, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and death. About 2.4 million Americans are living with HCV, and nearly 2.2 million people could be living with hepatitis B, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By 2030, New York aims for a 90% reduction in people living with HCV and an 80% increase in people being treated and cured. Knowing your HCV status is the first step toward treatment and a cure. While current guidelines recommend that all adults should be tested for HCV at least once, New York state recently implemented a new testing law requiring universal screening for all adults over 18 and pregnant individuals. TO CONTINUE: https://www.hepmag.com/article/new-york-implements-strategies-reach-hep-c-elimination-goal
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Published July 9, 2024 | Originally published on ScienceAlert Latest, MD Linx
More needs to be done to ensure that tattoo inks and other permanent makeup products are bacteria-free, according to the authors of a new study that found worryingly high numbers of commercial samples with bacteria in them. Testing found bacteria in about 35 percent of the tattoo inks and permanent makeup sampled in the US. That includes both aerobic bacteria that need oxygen to live, and anaerobic bacteria that don't – meaning they could survive in the dermal layer under the surface of the skin, even without an air supply. The research was carried out by a team from the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) and the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), both part of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "Our findings reveal that unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbor anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments like the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria," says microbiologist Seong-Jae Kim from the NCTR. "This suggests that contaminated tattoo inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria." TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.mdlinx.com/news/more-than-1-in-3-tattoo-inks-tested-in-us-harbor-a-potential-infection-risk/3nGayeDOHeweYh8zpV1ujk?show_order=8&utm_ca Test Enables Single-Visit Testing and Treatment for Hepatitis C
For immediate Release: June 27, 2024 Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted marketing authorization to Cepheid for the Xpert HCV test and GeneXpert Xpress System, the first hepatitis C virus (HCV) test that can be used to bring diagnosis to appropriately certified point-of-care settings for individuals at risk for hepatitis C. The test may be performed in settings operating under a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) Certificate of Waiver, such as certain substance use disorder treatment facilities, correctional facilities, syringe service programs, doctor’s offices, emergency departments and urgent care clinics. Rather than requiring a sample to be sent to a central lab for testing, the test detects HCV RNA and delivers results in about an hour using a blood sample from the fingertip. The authorization of this test enables a test-and-treat approach where a person can be tested for HCV, and if positive for HCV RNA, be linked to care and potentially receive treatment during the same health care visit. Prior to the availability of a rapid, point-of-care test, HCV testing has been a multi-step process which often results in patients needing follow-up appointments for test results and additional testing, which can lead to patients not receiving a diagnosis and not receiving necessary treatment. TO CONTINUE READING:https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-permits-marketing-first-point-care-hepatitis-c-rna-test Published May 23, 2024 | Originally published on MedicalXpress Breaking News-and-Events
Now that smoking has replaced injecting as the most common way to consume fentanyl, UCSF researchers have uncovered an increased risk of fatal overdose from the residue that accumulates in smoking equipment. The researchers found that people both shared fentanyl resin and consumed it accidentally. This may be increasing the risk of overdose, especially among those who use the equipment to smoke other drugs, like methamphetamine, and have not developed tolerance to opioids like fentanyl. "The risk of overdose when sharing smoking devices with fentanyl resin could be seen as analogous to the risk of shared injection paraphernalia and HIV transmission," said Daniel Ciccarone, MD, MPH, Justine Miner Professor of Addiction Medicine at UC San Francisco in the Department of Family & Community Medicine, who is the first author of the paper. "Harm reduction-based and culturally attuned education campaigns need to be rapidly advanced to address this new risk." The paper is the first to explore fentanyl resin as a key contributor to overdose and appears May 22 in PLOS ONE. Smoking fentanyl is rising locally and nationallySan Francisco reached an all-time high of 806 deaths in 2023, with 653 from fentanyl. Nationwide, the number of fentanyl deaths declined modestly in 2023, dropping from 76,226 to 74,702; but they remain high, and fatal overdoses from psychostimulants, including methamphetamine and cocaine, are on the rise. In recent years, mirroring national trends, fewer people in San Francisco have been injecting fentanyl and more have been smoking it. But the beliefs and behaviors surrounding this development have not been well understood to date. To conduct the study, the researchers observed people in their own environment in 2022, conducting face-to-face interviews with 34 participants who were recruited from syringe service programs. They asked about the progression of the participants' substance use, as well as their modes of use, experiences with overdose, and the changes they had observed in the local drug supply. The interviews were supplemented with daily field notes, video-recorded smoking sequences, and photography of drugs and equipment. The researchers observed that fentanyl was extremely cheap, as low as $10 a gram; and most people used foil to smoke it, although glass bubbles, bongs, and dabbing devices were also popular. The quality of the fentanyl varied, and people had no apparent method to determine it. Participants could gauge potency upon inhalation, however, and they had developed techniques to regulate their dose. Several participants reported frequent use, up to one or more grams a day. Shared equipment poses significant dangersIt was both the difficulty of injecting and the fear of overdose that motivated people to start smoking fentanyl instead. Smoking was also more social, and people shared equipment, drugs, and information. The researchers were surprised to find that this caused participants to reflect on the changing risk environment for people with varying opioid tolerances and to develop strategies to protect others. Early during fieldwork, the researchers observed an interaction in which a random person attempted to borrow a glass pipe from a participant, who vehemently refused. The participant explained that the pipe had been used for fentanyl and did not want to share it with someone who only used methamphetamine. Smoked fentanyl and methamphetamine residues look similar, and the equipment used often overlaps. "The overdose risk arises when there is a potential mismatch between the potency of the residual drug and the recipient's tolerance," Ciccarone explained. While some participants took precautions to prevent others from using their smoking equipment and overdosing on the residues, the shared smoking culture still poses increased risks, particularly given high consumption rates. TO CONTINUE:https://www.mdlinx.com/news/the-smoking-of-fentanyl-is-rising-in-san-francisco-a-deadly-new-risk-for-overdose/2735OfDsAkm1bkDgFMGkKP?show_order= Published May 14, 2024 | Originally published on NIH News News Release Monday, May 13, 2024
Over 115 million pills containing illicit fentanyl seized by law enforcement in 2023NIH-supported study highlights increasingly dangerous illicit drug supply, risk of pills not coming from a pharmacy. Law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl increased dramatically in number and size between 2017 to 2023 in the U.S., especially in pill form, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The number of individual pills containing fentanyl seized by law enforcement was 2,300 times greater in 2023 compared to 2017, with 115,562,603 pills seized in 2023 vs. 49,657 in 2017. The proportion of fentanyl pill seizures to the total number of fentanyl seizures more than quadrupled, with pills representing 49% of illicit fentanyl seizures in 2023 compared to 10% in 2017. The study also found a significant increase in the number and weight of fentanyl-containing powder seizures during this time. “Fentanyl has continued to infiltrate the drug supply in communities across the United States and it is a very dangerous time to use drugs, even just occasionally,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D. “Illicit pills are made to look identical to real prescription pills, but can actually contain fentanyl. It is urgently important that people know that any pills given to someone by a friend, purchased on social media, or received from any source other than a pharmacy could be potentially deadly – even after a single ingestion.” Although fentanyl seizures were historically less common in the Western U.S., this analysis found that this region now accounts for most of law enforcement seizures of fentanyl overall, as well as total weight of fentanyl seized. The proportion of fentanyl pill seizures compared to the overall number of fentanyl seizures was also highest in the West, with 77.8% of all law enforcement seizures of fentanyl in the West being in pill form in 2023. These data emphasize the need for continued monitoring of regional shifts in the fentanyl supply, to help inform targeted prevention and public health responses. In 2022, over 107,000 people died of a drug overdose, with 75% of those deaths involving an opioid. The overall rise in overdose deaths is largely attributable to the proliferation of illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. Illicit fentanyl is highly potent, cheaply made, and easily transported, making it extremely profitable. Fentanyl is about 50 times more potent than heroin and a lethal dose may be as small as two milligrams. While some people knowingly consume fentanyl, many people do not know if the drugs they plan to use contain fentanyl. This is especially true of illicit counterfeit pills, which are often made to resemble prescription medications such as oxycodone or benzodiazepines, but really contain fentanyl. Recent studies have reported a dramatic rise in overdose deaths among teens between 2010 to 2021, which remained elevated well into 2022 according to a NIDA analysis of CDC and Census data. This increase in deaths has been largely attributed to widespread availability of illicit fentanyl, the proliferation of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, and the ease of purchasing pills through social media. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.mdlinx.com/news/over-115-million-pills-containing-illicit-fentanyl-seized-by-law-enforcement-in-2023/34fFubzuHid4NkKNtEiMUC?show_order=5&utm_campaign=reg_daily-alert_240520_daily-nl-am-v4_registered-users-a180&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (Section 1557), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), in covered health programs or activities. 42 U.S.C. 18116.
Where can I find more information? OCR has issued a final rule under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) advancing protections against discrimination in health care.
Nearly Nearly one-quarter of LGBTQ adults who reported having negative health care experiences said tNearly one-quarter of LGBTQ adults who reported having negative health care experiences said those experiences caused their health to get worse, compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ adults.
April 3, 2024, 6:53 PM EDT By Jo YurcabaLesbian, NBC News Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer adults are twice as likely as their non-LGBTQ counterparts to report having had negative health care experiences over the last three years, according to a new report. One-third (33%) of LGBTQ adults say they were treated unfairly or with disrespect or had at least one negative experience with a health care provider, compared to 15% of non-LGBTQ adults, according to a new report by KFF, a health care and polling nonprofit formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation. Of the LGBTQ adults who reported negative experiences, 61% said a provider assumed something about them without asking, suggested they were personally to blame for a health problem, ignored a direct request or question or refused to prescribe needed pain medication, compared to 31% of non-LGBTQ adults who reported negative experiences. Those negative encounters have an effect on LGBTQ adults’ health, the survey found. Of LGBTQ adults who reported having negative health care experiences in the last three years, nearly one-quarter (24%) said those experiences caused their health to get worse, compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ adults; 39% said those experiences made them less likely to seek health care, compared to 15% of non-LGBTQ adults; and 36% said such negative experiences caused them to switch health care providers, compared to 16% of non-LGBTQ adults. Lindsey Dawson, director of LGBTQ health policy at KFF, said the report provides a helpful update on the experiences of LGBTQ people at a time when dozens of state bills have targeted their access to health care and protections from discrimination. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-health-and-wellness/1-3-lgbtq-adults-say-ve-treated-unfairly-health-care-provider-rcna146310 Nearly one-quarter of LGBTQ adults who reported having negative health care experiences said those experiences caused their health to get worse, compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ adults.hose experiences caused their health to get worse, compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ adults.one-quarter of LGBTQ adults who reported having negative health care experiences said those experiences caused their health to get worse, compared to 9% of non-LGBTQ adults. Peter Treitler, PhD1,2; Stephen Crystal, PhD1,3,4; Joel Cantor, ScD1; et alOriginal Investigation Substance Use and Addiction March 25, 2024 Key Points
Question Is implementation of an emergency department (ED)–based peer recovery support program for opioid overdose associated with improvements in initiation of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD)? Findings In this cohort study of 12 046 patients treated for nonfatal opioid overdose, those treated in EDs that implemented peer support were significantly more likely to initiate MOUD than patients treated in comparison EDs. The outcome varied across EDs and by time since peer support implementation. Meaning The findings suggest that ED-based peer recovery support is associated with increased postdischarge MOUD receipt, but outcomes likely depend on additional factors such as program characteristics and availability of other substance use disorder services. TO CONTINUE READING:https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2816733 Opponents of SSPs argue that they enable drug use and make neighborhoods less safe. However, when
implemented according to best practices, there is actually plenty of evidence to the contrary. Dr. Jerome Adams and Mazen Saleh Opinion contributors USA TODAY It can seem counterintuitive to provide clean syringes to individuals who inject drugs. After all, why make it easier to consume illicit substances that are increasingly resulting in overdoses? In the fight against fentanyl, however, a clean syringe can be a lifesaving connection. We might not be able to stop every overdose, but if we can provide a tool to forge those connections and make illicit drug use safer, then we should. Colloquially known as syringe services programs, SSPs aim to reduce infectious disease transmission acquired from shared needles. In this regard they are undeniably effective, yielding a 50% reduction in HIV and hepatitis C transmission. Syringe exchange programs are certainly not without controversy, but having been around for more than three decades, SSPs are neither novel nor lacking in evidence of their public health efficacy and societal cost savings. TO CONTINUE READING: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2024/04/03/fentanyl-opioid-epidemic-syringe-services-harm-reduction/73169725007/ https://www.contagionlive.com/view/beneficial-treatment-for-early-stage-hepatitis-c-and-hiv-co-infectionMarch 5, 2024 By Sophia Abene
Shortened treatments have shown promise in the early stages of hepatitis C (HCV), with a study on the 4-week glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (G/P) regimen presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI), highlights a promising strategy for HCV elimination, particularly in HIV co-infected populations. From November 2019 to January 2023, the study enrolled 45 participants predominantly male (98%), with a diverse racial background (51% White, 27% Black, 31% Hispanic/Latino), and a median age of 36 years (ranging from 22 to 65) from the US and Brazil. Of these, 27% reported a history of injecting drug use, 84% were diagnosed with their first HCV infection, and 51%were living with HIV, The median time from HCV diagnosis to study enrollment was 31 days (IQR: 15-49), with participants exhibiting a median baseline HCV RNA level of 5.3 log IU/mL (IQR: 3.3-6.0), predominantly genotype 1 (71%), and a median ALT level of 146 U/L (ranging from 22-3866). The phase 2 study explored the efficacy and safety of a once-daily oral regimen of G/P 300 mg/120 mg for 4 weeks in adults with early-stage HCV. Eligibility for early-stage HCV included a significant new increase in ALT levels (either ≥5x the upper limit of normal (ULN) or >250 U/L if a normal ALT was documented in the year prior, or ≥10x ULN or >500 U/L if no prior ALT or an abnormal ALT was recorded) or detection of HCV RNA after a previously negative antibody test (indicating a first infection) or HCV RNA test (indicating reinfection) within the 24 weeks leading up to study participation. TO CONTINUE READING: Beneficial Treatment for Early-Stage Hepatitis C and HIV Co-Infection https://www.contagionlive.com/view/beneficial-treatment-for-early-stage-hepatitis-c-and-hiv-co-infection |
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