This page is an archive. Its content may no longer be accurate and was last updated on the original publication date. It is intended for reference and as a historical record only. For hep C questions, call Help4Hep BC at 1-888-411-7578.
HEPATITIS C VIRUS MICRO-ELIMINATION AMONG PRISON POPULATIONS (October 2, 2018)
Demonstration of feasibility and models of care from Australia by Dr. Sofia Bartlett BSc (Hons), PhD. A “Grand Rounds” presentation at the BC Centre for Disease Control. Watch the (41 minute) presentation here: http://mediasite.phsa.ca/Mediasite/Showcase/BCCDC/Presentation/ddb6c1af017b4d1cafd49b7815af4bb41d
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TREATING HCV IN INCARCERATED POPULATIONS KEY TO DISEASE ELIMINATION (August 19, 2017)
Infection rates range from 9.6% to 41.1%
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) rates in America’s prisons and jails are high, largely because this is where many people with high-risk behaviors such as injection drug use end up. But in order to help reach the World Health Organization goal of elimination of HCV, this population needs more screening and treatment – not only to help people with the infection, but also to reduce the risk of transmission.
Read the rest of the story here: http://hepcbc.bchep.org/2017/08/19/treating-hcv-incarcerated-populations-key-disease-elimination/
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ALL FEDERAL INMATES WITH HCV ELIGIBLE FOR TREATMENT (July 31, 2017)
There will be a vast increase in spending on treatment for the estimated 2700 federal inmates infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has a treatment budget for 2017-18 of $16.5 million, nearly four times the amount budgeted in 2010, according to Ivan Zinger, the Correctional Investigator of Canada.
“This is a story of good leadership at the federal level,” said Zinger.
In 2015, Zinger called on CSC to expand HCV treatment as an investment in public health. He credited CMAJ for “important work that kept the pressure on,” referring to a series of news articles, starting in 2012, on HCV treatment rates in prisons.
The number of inmates started on HCV treatment doubled, to 606, between 2015 and 2016, said Zinger. Another 121 began treatment in April and May of this year. “At this rate, CSC could start over 1000 offenders on curative HCV therapies” in 2017, he said.
CSC’s new approach to HCV treatment can be credited to the introduction of new direct-acting antivirals, bulk purchasing agreements with drug makers, and updated treatment guidelines by the Canadian Association of the Study of the Liver, according to Jennifer Wheatley, assistant commissioner of health services for CSC.
“All inmates diagnosed with hepatitis C are now eligible for treatment,” she said.
Read the rest of the story here: http://cmajnews.com/2017/07/27/dramatic-budget-increase-for-hepatitis-treatment-in-federal-prisons-cmaj-109-5468/