An officer examines drug samples given by users of the addictive substance at a public health center, in Canberra, Australia, Friday (14/4/2023). This service is part of a program to reduce the harm of drug use.
MELBOURNE, KOMPAS—The spread of hepatitis in various countries continues to expand, even claiming many lives. However, controlling this disease is still constrained by the limited access of residents to examination and treatment services, including reducing the harmful effects of injecting drug use.
Annette Verster, Technical Coordinator for Innovative Prevention and Key Populations Department of the WHO Global HIV and Hepatitis Program, explained this, in the Harm Reduction pre-Conference on hepatitis, at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity Auditorium, Melbourne, Australia, Saturday (15/4) /2023).
The 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) report notes that the number of hepatitis B cases has reached 296 million people and hepatitis C cases are around 58 million people. While new cases of hepatitis B and hepatitis C are around 3 million people. Meanwhile, 23-39 percent of the total number of new cases of hepatitis C are injecting drug users.
Also read: Treatment for Hepatitis C
From the global development report on HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections in 2021 published by WHO, out of 58 million people with chronic hepatitis C, only 21 percent of them have been diagnosed in 2019. In addition, only 13 percent of the total number of people with chronic hepatitis who received treatment.
In fact, in the Southeast Asian region, only 7 percent of the total number of cases of chronic hepatitis C sufferers have been diagnosed and 5 percent of the total number of cases receiving medical treatment. This shows the low level of public access to hepatitis examination and treatment services.
Injecting drug users are vulnerable to a number of infectious diseases. The number of new cases of hepatitis C per year among injecting drug users is 8 per 100 people in 2020 and is targeted to decrease to 3 per 100 people in 2025. Meanwhile the death rate due to hepatitis C per year is from 290,000 or 5 per 100,000 in 2020 it is targeted to decrease so 240,000 cases or 3 per 100,000 in 2025.
Extend access
To prevent complications and death from hepatitis C, according to Annette, WHO recommends expanding the range of hepatitis C examination and care services at primary or community-based health facilities to outlying areas. This is to improve access to patient diagnosis and treatment services.
Also read: Pandemic Hamper Elimination of Hepatitis
These health facilities include basic health services, harm reduction programs, and HIV clinics such as those run by community organizations and outreach services. “Testing and treatment services at health facilities in rural areas need to be integrated with reducing the adverse effects of drug use (harm reduction),” he said.
A pedestrian walks in front of the community health center in Canberra, Australia, Friday (14/4/2023). The health facility provides drug sample examination services as part of the harm reduction program of drug use.
“testing preferably voluntary and independent and not used to stigmatize at-risk populations. Examination should also be part of evidence-based primary prevention services and reduce the risk of transmission. This is combined with increased access to treatment,” said Annette.
In addition, someone who is diagnosed with infection must have a choice whether to start therapy immediately or delay it. “Medical treatment needs to be accompanied by scientific evidence-based interventions to reduce the risk of hepatitis C transmission and other primary prevention services,” he said.
Testing and treatment services at health facilities in rural areas need to be integrated with reducing the harm of drugs (drugs). harm reduction).
Senior Technical Officer Innovation in Global Health (Unitaid) Karin Timmermans said that preventing transmission of hepatitis C, especially in key populations, must be part of efforts to eliminate the disease. One of them is integrating efforts to prevent and check for hepatitis C with reducing the harm of injecting drugs in the community.
Unitaid Senior Technical Officer Karin Timmermans
North Richmond Community Health Medical Supervised Injection Room Medical Director, Nico Clark, gave an example, in Victoria, Australia, the hepatitis C treatment model in an injection room supervised by health workers has been implemented. “This service is integrated with counseling or mental health support and other health services,” he said.
According to Clark, this service is to prevent death and adverse effects due to drug users experiencing an overdose. The service also aims to reduce emergency services in hospitals due to overdose and reduce the spread of blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV.
In Indonesia, according to Program and Partnership Director of The Hepatitis Fund Capucine Peniaud, a number of hepatitis prevention programs have been running through the collaboration of a number of parties. However, controlling the disease faces a number of obstacles, including disparities in access to examination and treatment services between regions.
Director of Programs and Partnerships for The Hepatitis Fund Capuchine Penicaud
“Some people have difficulty accessing hepatitis C testing and treatment services because they live in areas far from health facilities. This causes many residents to be undiagnosed with hepatitis C, so they don’t immediately receive proper treatment,” he said. Another obstacle is the high cost of treating the disease.
Tags: Handling Hepatitis Integrated Kompas .id
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