Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 15;14(7):1548.
doi: 10.3390/v14071548.

Systematic Review of Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence in the WHO Western Pacific Region

Jenny Iversen  1 , Handan Wand  1 , Po-Lin Chan  2 , Linh-Vi Le  2 , Lisa Maher  1
Affiliations

Systematic Review of Hepatitis C Virus Prevalence in the WHO Western Pacific Region

Jenny Iversen et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Background: This review aimed to identify hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence estimates among the general population and six key populations (people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, sex workers, prisoners/detainees, Indigenous people, and migrants) in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region (WHO WPR).

Methods: Original research articles published between 2016 and 2020 were identified from bibliographic databases. Publications were retrieved, replicas removed, and abstracts screened. Retained full texts were assessed and excluded if inclusion criteria were not met. Methodological quality was assessed using the Johanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for prevalence data. Data on HCV exposure and active infection were extracted and aggregated and forest plots generated for each population by country.

Results: There were no HCV prevalence estimates in any population for more than half of WPR countries and territories. Among the 76 estimates, 97% presented prevalence of exposure and 33% prevalence of active infection. General population viraemic prevalence was 1% or less, except in Mongolia. Results confirm the endemic nature of HCV among people who inject drugs, with estimates of exposure ranging from 30% in Cambodia to 76% in Hong Kong.

Conclusions: Countries require detailed knowledge of HCV prevalence in diverse populations to evaluate the impact of efforts to support WHO HCV elimination goals. Results provide baseline estimates from which to monitor and evaluate progress and by which to benchmark future elimination efforts.

Keywords: Western Pacific Region; elimination; hepatitis C virus; prevalence; systematic review; viral hepatitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of publication identification and selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Forest plots HCV antibody prevalence by key population and country.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Forest plots HCV RNA prevalence by key population and country.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. World Health Organization Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016–2021. Towards Ending Viral Hepatitis. [(accessed on 1 December 2020)]. Available online: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/246177.
    1. World Health Organization Global Hepatitis Report 2017. [(accessed on 1 December 2020)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565455.
    1. Polaris Observatory HCV Collaborators Global prevalence and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in 2015: A modelling study. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2017;2:161–176. doi: 10.1016/S2468-1253(16)30181-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Global Burden of Disease: Total Burden Related to Hepatitis C-Cause. [(accessed on 11 October 2021)]. Available online: https://www.healthdata.org/results/gbd_summaries/2019/total-burden-relat....
    1. Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination Interim Report: Progress Towards HBV and HCV Elimination in the Western Pacific Region. 2020. [(accessed on 1 December 2020)]. Available online: https://www.globalhep.org/interim-report-progress-towards-hbv-and-hcv-el....

Publication types