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
. 2024 Oct 21;16(10):1645.
doi: 10.3390/v16101645.

Benchmarking of an Intervention Aiming at the Micro-Elimination of Hepatitis C in Vulnerable Populations in Perpignan, France, to Inform Scale-Up and Elimination on the French Territory

Gordana Avramovic  1   2 , Laura O'Doherty  1   2 , Tina McHugh  1 , Andre Jean Remy  3 , Arnaud Happiette  3 , Hakim Bouchkira  3 , Philippe Murat  4 , Olivier Scemama  4 , Adrien Esclade  4 , Maria Isabel Farfan Camacho  5 , Walter Cullen  2 , John S Lambert  1   2
Affiliations

Benchmarking of an Intervention Aiming at the Micro-Elimination of Hepatitis C in Vulnerable Populations in Perpignan, France, to Inform Scale-Up and Elimination on the French Territory

Gordana Avramovic et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important cause of chronic liver disease. Among at-risk populations, access to care is challenging. The French Ministry of Health has supported a seek-and-treat pilot intervention aiming at micro-elimination in Perpignan, France, to inform scale-up of elimination efforts across the whole territory. University College Dublin (UCD) led a successful EU funded project, called HepCare, focusing on the micro-elimination of HCV. UCD was contracted to evaluate and benchmark the Perpignan results against results from HepCare. Using mixed-method approaches including qualitative interviews with patients, a focus group with healthcare professionals, and quantitative analyses of the cascade of care against results obtained at other European sites, we analyse the acceptability, reproducibility, replicability, and effectiveness of the Perpignan intervention. A total of 960 participants were recruited in the Perpignan area. HCV antibody test results were obtained for 928 (96.6%), of which 150 (15.6%) were antibody-positive. Of the antibody-positive participants, 68 (45.3%) tested positive for HCV-RNA, 141 (94%) were linked to care, and of the HCV-RNA-positive participants, 60 (88%) started treatment. Of those who underwent treatment, 34 (56.7%) completed treatment and achieved a sustained viral response (SVR) at dataset closure, 18 (30%) were still in treatment, 5 (8.3%) defaulted from treatment, and 3 (5%) had a virologic failure or died. The intervention in Perpignan was acceptable to patients, but had limitations in effectiveness, as shown in comparisons with HepCare results. To engage harder-to-reach cohorts in France, future models of care in the territory should incorporate peer support.

Keywords: HCV elimination; PWID; benchmark; hepatitis C; integrated care; people who inject drugs; systems of care; vulnerable populations.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of RNA-positive patients in the targeted population.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage of new cases versus old cases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Simmonds P. The origin of hepatitis C virus. Curr. Top. Microbiol. Immunol. 2013;369:1–15. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-27340-7_1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cohn J., Roberts T., Amorosa V., Lemoine M., Hill A. Simplified diagnostic monitoring for hepatitis C, in the new era of direct-acting antiviral treatment. Curr. Opin. HIV AIDS. 2015;10:369–373. doi: 10.1097/COH.0000000000000180. - DOI - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) Global Hepatitis Report 2017. [(accessed on 8 August 2024)]. Available online: http://www.who.int/hepatitis/publications/global-hepatitis-report2017/en/
    1. Hope V.D., Eramova I., Capurro D., Donoghoe M.C. Prevalence and estimation of hepatitis B and C infections in the WHO European Region: A review of data focusing on the countries outside the European Union and the European Free Trade Association. Epidemiol. Infect. 2014;142:270–286. doi: 10.1017/S0950268813000940. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Swan D., Cullen W., Macias J., Oprea C., Story A., Surey J., Vickerman P., Lambert J.S. Hepcare Europe—Bridging the gap in the treatment of hepatitis C: Study protocol. Expert Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 2018;12:303–314. doi: 10.1080/17474124.2018.1424541. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

Substances

LinkOut - more resources