Progress in Hepatitis C Testing as Part of the Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Georgia - European Medical Journal

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Progress in Hepatitis C Testing as Part of the Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Georgia

1 Mins
Hepatology
EMJ Hepatology [Supplement 2] ILC Congress Review 2020
Authors:
*Amiran Gamkrelidze,1 Tamar Gabunia,2 Alexander Turdziladze,1 Irma Khonelidze,1 Maia Tsereteli,1 Vladimer Getia,1 Ekaterine Adamia,2 Tinatin Kuchuloria,3 Irina Tskhomelidze,3 Muazzam Nasrullah,4 Shaun Shadaker,4 Lia Gvinjilia,3 Francisco Averhoff4

1. National Center for Disease Control and Public Health Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
2. Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
3. Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) for Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
4. Division of Viral Hepatitis, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA
*Correspondence to [email protected]

Disclosure:

The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Citation:
EMJ Hepatol. ;8[Suppl 2]:36-37. Abstract Review No: AR4.
Keywords:
Elimination, Georgia, hepatitis C virus (HCV), national data, prevalence, programme, progress, screening, testing.

Each article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 License.

INTRODUCTION

In April 2015, the country of Georgia, with a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (5.4% of the adult population, approximately 150,000 persons), embarked on the world’s first national HCV Elimination programme.1-4The overall goal of the programme was to achieve a 90% reduction in HCV prevalence by 2020. Currently, the hepatitis testing, diagnostics, and medication are available free of charge to all citizens. The aim of this analysis was to describe progress in HCV testing as part of the elimination programme.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study merged data from the national hepatitis C screening registry and the treatment database and census data from 2014 using a unique national ID.

RESULTS

As of 10th November 2019, 1,628,452 adults were tested for HCV (56.9% of the adult population), of whom 125,016 (7.7%) were anti-HCV positive. By the end of 2015, the positivity rate was 27.0%, which was reduced to 3.8% in 2019. Overall, 98,134 individuals received viraemia testing, of whom 80,074 (81.6%) tested positive.

Screening rates were similar for males and females (55.9% versus 57.9%, respectively). Among males, screening rates were highest among those aged ≥60 years (64.2%) and lowest among those aged 18–29 years (51.7%). The overall positivity rate for adult males was 12.4%, with highest positivity among those aged 30–59  years (18.6%).

Screening rates were highest among females aged 18–29 years (60.7%) and lowest among those aged 30–59 years (56.4%). The overall positivity rate for adult females was 3.7%, with the highest positivity rate among those aged ≥60 (5.3%).

CONCLUSION

The overall anti-HCV prevalence was higher in males and among those aged 30–59 years. The anti-HCV positivity rate among those being screened has declined since the launch of the HCV Elimination Program in April 2015. Although significant progress has been made, a substantial proportion of infected people need to be identified through screening, testing for viraemia, and linking to care.

References
Mitruka K et al. Launch of a nationwide hepatitis C elimination program--Georgia, April 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64(28):753-7. Gvinjilia L et al. National progress toward hepatitis C elimination - Georgia, 2015-2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2016;65(41):1132-5. Nasrullah M et al. The role of screening and treatment in national progress toward hepatitis C elimination - Georgia, 2015-2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66(29):773-6. Tsertsvadze T et al. Three years of progress towards achieving hepatitis C elimination in the country of Georgia, April 2015 - March 2018. Clin Infect Dis. 2019. pii: ciz956. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciz956. [Epub ahead of print].

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