AsianScientist (Apr. 15, 2014) – WHO has issued its first guidance for the treatment of hepatitis C, a chronic infection that affects an estimated 130 million to 150 million people and results in 350,000 to 500,000 deaths a year.
The publication of the WHO Guidelines for the screening, care and treatment of persons with hepatitis C infection coincides with the availability of more effective and safer oral hepatitis medicines, along with the promise of even more new medicines in the next few years.
“The WHO recommendations are based on a thorough review of the best and latest scientific evidence,” says Dr. Stefan Wiktor, who leads WHO’s Global Hepatitis Program. “The new guidance aims to help countries to improve treatment and care for hepatitis and thereby reduce deaths from liver cancer and cirrhosis.”
WHO will be working with countries to introduce the guidelines as part of their national treatment programs. WHO support will include assistance to make the new treatments available and consideration of all possible avenues to make them affordable for all. WHO will also assess the quality of hepatitis laboratory tests and generic forms of hepatitis medicines.
“Hepatitis C treatment is currently unaffordable to most patients in need. The challenge now is to ensure that everyone who needs these drugs can access them,” says Dr. Peter Beyer, Senior Advisor for the Essential Medicines and Health Products Department at WHO.
“Experience has shown that a multi-pronged strategy is required to improve access to treatment, including creating demand for treatment. The development of WHO guidelines is a key step in this process.”
The new guidelines make nine key recommendations. These include approaches to increase the number of people screened for hepatitis C infection, advice as to how to mitigate liver damage for those who are infected and how to select and provide appropriate treatments for chronic hepatitis C infection.
There are five main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis B and C have the greatest public health impact because they cause chronic infection which can progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis A and E, spread though unsafe water and contaminated food, have the potential to cause outbreaks in certain populations.
Hepatitis C virus is most commonly transmitted through exposure to contaminated blood. Those at risk include people undergoing invasive medical procedures and therapeutic injections where there is poor infection control. Also at risk are those exposed to contaminated injecting and skin piercing equipment, including through injecting drug use, tattooing and body piercing.
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Source: World Health Organization; Photo: AJ Cann/Flickr/CC.
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