With wide access to needle and syringe programs, opioid subsitution therapy and hepatitis C treatment, Australia is leading the world in the elimination of hepatitis C. However, an emphasis on active case finding and continuing to move treatment into primary care is essential to maintain our momentum.
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Liver cancer is one of the only cancers in Australia where rates are rising. Most liver cancers have a preventable cause, and increasing screening and treatment for hepatitis B and C will help us to curb the rates of liver cancer.
While the USA has seen increasing rates of acute hepatitis B and hepatitis C, as well as increasing cases of HIV linked to injecting drug use, other parts of the world such as Australia are on track to eliminate hepatitis C.
The changes in management of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been an interesting and rewarding time for those of us who have treated patients that ultimately achieve sustained virological response (SVR) or ‘cure’, but there are still some tricky clinical situations that can cause some consternation, including infants and teenagers as the new face of HCV, how to manage an acute infection and what to do with resistant strains.
