On 14th December 2020, Public Health England published their annual 'Hepatitis C in the UK' report. This analyses the UK's progress towards the World Health Organization's target of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030 at the latest, which the Government signed up to in 2016.
The latest report uses 2019 data to assess progress towards elimination, but also includes a section on the impact of Covid-19 on hepatitis C services, noting that "the Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to our ability to meet WHO HCV elimination goals".
Evaluation of HepCATT intervention in primary care services
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A new study published this week in the British Journal of General Practice looked at a randomised control trial run in 45 primary care practices in south west England called the Hepatitis C Assessment Through to Treatment (HepCATT). The intervention aimed to increase case-finding, testing, and treatment of HCV through various initiatives in primary care, such as learning resources for staff, leaflets and information for patients, and software identifying patients with risk factors for hepatitis C infection. It found that primary care settings could play a crucial role in identifying and treating people with HCV.
