“The elimination of hepatitis C is a topic that is of great interest, above all because it is a goal proposed by the WHO for 2030. For this reason, lately we are trying to decentralize care outside hospitals. Numerous activities have been undertaken so far: from the presence of rapid screening for the determination of HCV infection to the treatment of patients by infectious doctors within the Serd, the services for pathological addictions “. Ivana Maida, associate professor of Infectious Diseases of the University Hospital of Sassariat the Adnkronos Salute he takes stock of the importance of decentralized assistance in the treatment centers for hepatitis C for active drug addicts and on the ongoing activities in view of the elimination of HCV in this population, as requested. by the World Health Organization by 2030.
“There are numerous reports from the last European Congress on liver disease (Easl 2022) – underlines Maida – which show how much it is rapid management of the patient with hepatitis C is essentialfacilitating therapies with 8-week regimens that ensure, especially outside hospitals, better care for those who have the infection and are also active drug addicts. “And precisely drug addicted patients with compensated cirrhosis“during the pandemic and due to the various lockdowns, they interrupted the pathways of diagnosis and therapy – highlights the infectious disease specialist – So they prefer short treatment regimens, at 8 weeks, right within the Serd, in order to facilitate patient management and follow-up. Among other things, with this therapy there is also a lower use of resources in hospitals or addiction centers, in addition to the reduced costs for the National Health Service funds “.
Regarding the plans to eliminate the HCV, the situation at the national and regional level has lights and shadows, according to Maida. “In Italy we know that about 500,000 people can be affected by hepatitis C – recalls the expert – but I am not aware of their positivity. Therefore, it is late to the diagnosis and, consequently, to the treatment. For this reason, in the budget law it was proposed at the national level to be able to carry out free screening for citizens born between 1969 and 1989. Unfortunately Sardinia, together with other Regions, does not draw on innovative funds for which we have great difficulties. Fortunately, an amendment to the law has been proposed in the latest regional budget which would provide for the use of 3 million euros (1 million for 2022, 1 million for 2023 and 1 million for 2024), to be allocated to screening tests of the population in the age group between 33 and 53 years “.
In the activities undertaken by the Region of Sardinia to facilitate the achievement of the objective proposed by the WHO, “thanks to a collaboration protocol between the University of Sassari and the territory, the presence of an infectious doctor inside the Serd. So our doctors are actively attending these facilities where they carry out screening tests and patient recruitment, and then proceed with the prescription of antiviral therapies under our supervision “.
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