Dual strategy involving hospital-based study and community-based screening to eliminate hepatitis C in remote areas.
Journal
Journal of the Formosan Medical Association = Taiwan yi zhi
ISSN
0929-6646
Date Issued
2024-05
Author(s)
Hsu, Nien-Tzu
I-Chun Chen
Chang, Te-Sheng
Cheng, Shing
Cheng, Shi-Yann
Chen, Hung-Ming
Harn, Ming-Rong
Liu, Chen-Kou
Yang, Mao-Ting
Lu, Shih-Lung
Tseng, Chun-Mei
Lu, Sheng-Nan
Abstract
Background: /Purpose: To achieve the World Health Organization goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030, a key strategy in resource-limited areas is to identify the areas with high prevalence and to prioritize screening and treatment intervention. We hypothesized that a hospital-based laboratory database could be used to estimate the township- and village-specific anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence. Methods: Yunlin County Public Health Bureau has been collecting anti-HCV test data from eight major hospitals. Township- and village-specific screening testing rates and anti-HCV prevalence were calculated for residents 40 years or older. A township with a wide range of anti-HCV prevalence rates was selected for outreach universal screening and for validating the village-specific prevalence of anti-HCV in the analysis of the data from the hospitals. Results: The overall anti-HCV screening testing rate in Yunlin County was 30.4 %, whereas the anti-HCV prevalence rate for persons 40 years or older was 15.4 %. The village-specific anti-HCV prevalence rates ranged from 3.8 % to 85.8 %. Community-based screening was conducted in Kouhu Township. The village-specific anti-HCV prevalence rates ranged from 0 % to 18.8 %. Three of the four villages had the highest village-specific anti-HCV prevalence in the community-based study and the hospital-based study. Additionally, 95.8 % of the new HCV cases detected by universal screening received anti-HCV therapy. Conclusion: The hospital-based database provided a framework for identifying the villages with high anti-HCV prevalence. Additionally, community-based universal screening should be prioritized for villages with high prevalence in hospital-based databases. © 2024 Formosan Medical Association
Subjects
Community
Elimination
Hepatitis C
Hospital
Yunlin county
SDGs
Type
journal article