Real-world hepatitis C prevalence and treatment uptake at opioid agonist therapy clinics in Ontario, Canada.

Widespread screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) is necessary for Canada to meet its HCV elimination goals by 2030. People who currently or previously injected drugs are at high risk for HCV. Opioid agonist therapy (OAT, such as methadone and buprenorphine) has been shown to help stabilize the lives of people who are opioid-dependent.

Evaluation of Hepatitis C Screening and Treatment Among Psychiatry Inpatients.

To evaluate uptake of hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment among psychiatry inpatients at Canada's largest mental health institution, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). We reviewed medical records for all forensic and long-stay mental health patients from January 2017 to May 2021 to examine rates of HCV testing (antibody and RNA), treatment, and follow-up and completed a logistical regression to identify predictors associated with HCV antibody (Ab) screening among inpatients. Of 1,031 patients, 73% (n = 753) were male, mean age was 44 years (range: 20-92), and mean length of stay was 7.

Leveraging COVID-19 vaccination to promote hepatitis C screening.

Health care initiatives, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening, have been greatly overshadowed by the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, COVID-19 vaccination programs also provide an opportunity to engage with a high volume of people in a health care setting. We collaborated with a large COVID vaccination center to offer HCV point-of-care testing followed by dried blood spot collection for HCV RNA.

Birth cohort hepatitis C antibody prevalence in real-world screening settings in Ontario.

Background: Widespread screening and treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is required to decrease late-stage liver disease and liver cancer. Clinical practice guidelines and Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care recommendations differ on the value of one-time birth cohort (1945-75) HCV screening in Canada. To assess the utility of this approach, we conducted a real-world analysis of HCV antibody (Ab) prevalence among birth cohort individuals seen in different clinical contexts.