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Friday, Oct 5, 2018
News Recap:
Is hepatitis C virus micro-elimination feasible among prison populations? Let’s look at the world’s first prison to eliminate hepatitis C!
Prisoners and former prisoners are much more likely to have hepatitis C than the general public; if they didn’t have HCV when they went in, they are likely to contract it there. However, the upside is that prisons are a GREAT place to treat (cure) HCV! To meet the World Health Organization (WHO)’s goal of eliminating HCV by 2030, individual countries and smaller groups are formulating plans to “micro-eliminate” HCV within their own small group. It would be helpful for them to draw upon the experience of an Australian prison, which demonstrated both feasibility and models of care, as the first prison to actually eliminate hepatitis C.
First Human Case of Rat Strain of Hepatitis E Seen in Hong Kong
The first human case of a strain of hepatitis E previously found only in rats was diagnosed in a Hong Kong man who received a liver transplant in May 2017. University of Hong Kong researchers said the 56-year-old man was cured of the liver disease in March, The New York Times reported. The case is “a wake-up call.”