Expanding access to treatment for hepatitis C in resource-limited settings: lessons from HIV/AIDS
Ford, N.; Singh, K.; Cooke, G.S.; Mills, E.J.; von Schoen-Angerer, T.; Kamarulzaman, A.; du Cros, P.
Clinical Infectious Diseases An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 54(10): 1465-1472
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 1537-6591 PMID: 22431808 DOI: 10.1093/cid/cis227Document Number: 533934
The need to improve access to care and treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in resource-limited settings is receiving increasing attention. Key priorities for scaling up HCV treatment and care include reducing the cost of current and future treatment; simplifying the package of care; identifying opportunities to shift specific tasks to nonspecialists to overcome human resource constraints; service integration with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinics, prison health services, and needle syringe and oral substitution therapy programs; improving surveillance, monitoring, and research; encouraging patient and community engagement; focusing specifically on the needs of vulnerable groups; and increasing financial and political commitment. Many of these obstacles have been addressed in rolling out treatment for human immunodeficiency virus during the last decade, and a number of lessons can be drawn to help improve access to HCV care.