Increased Hepatitis C Infections During Pregnancy Linked to Opioid Epidemic
“A 16-fold increase in the prevalence of hepatitis C infection during pregnancy in the US is linked to the opioid epidemic in a recent cross-sectional study of more than 70 million hospital maternity admissions between 1998 and 2018. The investigators indicate that they conducted the study to add to previously scarce data on HCV infection during pregnancy, and bring some clarity to the conflicting reports on the role of HCV in pregnancy and perinatal outcomes.”
Curing the Most Deadly Communicable Disease on the Planet
“The hepatitis C Virus kills more people than most other communicable diseases, including AIDS and tuberculosis, says Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre. Conway was recently named an Elimination Champion for his work fighting the disease.”
The Case for Revaccinating Against HBV After Eradicating HCV
“Hepatitis B vaccine non-responders with chronic HCV infection were found likely to respond to revaccination after successful treatment of the HCV, in what investigators characterize as the first study to evaluate how curing HCV affects immune response to HBV vaccination. “Despite guideline recommendations that all individuals with chronic HCV infection be immunized for HBV, rates of immunization among this population remain low,” observed principal investigator, Jose Debes, MD, PhD, MS, Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, and colleagues. “Additionally, patients with chronic HCV infection may not respond to HBV vaccination as efficiently as non-infected patients,” Debes and colleagues noted.”
Care for Incarcerated People Offers ‘Tremendous Opportunity’
“Aug. 9, 2023, David Mitchell — Grant Phillips, M.D., spent his first four years after residency caring for service members and their families at an Air Force base in Arizona, then spent five years building a patient panel at a family medicine clinic in Scottsdale. He found his niche in family medicine, however, in a place many others might not look. “It goes back to a commitment to the underserved,” said Phillips, medical director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry. “Many incarcerated individuals have a lower level of health literacy. They may have chronic health needs as well as acute health needs that have not been attended to prior to incarceration. There’s a tremendous opportunity to help those individuals, and most of them are grateful to receive care.””
HIV and Hepatitis C Among Individuals Engaging in Drug Injection: Global Review
“The following is a summary of “Incidence of HIV and hepatitis C virus among people who inject drugs, and associations with age and sex or gender: a global systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the June 2023 issue of Gastroenterology & Hepatology by Artenie et al.”
Hepatitis C treatment hesitancy among people with heroin dependence in Australia. A prospective cohort study
“The World Health Organization aims to eliminate hepatitis C as a health problem by 2030. Injecting drug use is the main risk factor for hepatitis C in Australia. The introduction of highly effective and well tolerated antiviral therapies led to an early surge in treatment (33 200 people during 2016) that has since ebbed (8100 during 2020). It is estimated that 40–45% of Australians who need treatment have received it. Explanations for the decline in the number treated include low engagement with the medical system, the falling prevalence of hepatitis C, and ambivalence about treatment related to lack of trust in medical staff, fear of side effects, and competing social and health priorities, especially for people with asymptomatic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections.”
