Kalo, Eric, Baig, Asma, Derrett, Alison, Read, Scott, and Ahlenstiel, Golo (2024) HCV elimination: is the bulk of the iceberg being missed? Gastroenterology report, 12. goae093.

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Abstract

In 2016, the Australian government spent more than 1 billion dollars to make hepatitis C virus (HCV) direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) available to all as part of a promising plan to eradicate HCV within a generation [1]. Moreover, Australia's unique approach of offering well-tolerated pan-genotypic DAAs (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir, glecaprevir/pibrentasvir) through general practitioners has significantly increased treatment accessibility. As a result, ∼60% of Australians who are living with hepatitis C have received treatment. While significant progress has been made, reaching the 2030 elimination goal poses a challenge that is both feasible and attainable [2–4].

Current testing strategies are not comprehensive enough to fully identify all HCV-infected people. Current screening in Australia targets high-risk populations, including people who inject drugs, those of indigenous descent, those who take part in high-risk sexual behavior, or those with current or a history of incarceration. Such targeted screening strategies continue to enforce stigma and allow discrimination to linger in community and healthcare settings. Indeed, >70% of people living with HCV in Australia have reported experiencing stigma and discrimination, including withholding treatment, diagnostic overshadowing, unwelcoming, and/or excessive infection control behaviors [5]. In fact, current screening is not comprehensive enough to fully identify all HCV-infected people.

The aim of this study is to assess HCV prevalence within non-risk-factor populations in our community who are attending Blacktown and Mt Druitt hospitals’ outpatient services in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Item ID:	86133
Item Type:	Article (Short Note)
ISSN:	2052-0034
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press and Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Research Data:	https://academic.oup.com/gastro/article/doi/10.1093/gastro/goae093/7823195
Date Deposited:	13 Aug 2025 01:56
FoR Codes:	32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3202 Clinical sciences > 320209 Gastroenterology and hepatology @ 90% 32 BIOMEDICAL AND CLINICAL SCIENCES > 3202 Clinical sciences > 320211 Infectious diseases @ 10%
SEO Codes:	20 HEALTH > 2001 Clinical health > 200101 Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions @ 80% 20 HEALTH > 2004 Public health (excl. specific population health) > 200499 Public health (excl. specific population health) not elsewhere classified @ 20%
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