A multicentre interventional study to assess blood-borne viral infections in Belgian prisons.

Background: Prevalence data on viral hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV infection in prison are often scarce or outdated. There is currently no systematic screening for these blood-borne viral infections (BBV) in Belgian prisons. There is an urgency to assess the prevalence of these BBV to inform policymakers and public healthcare.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence estimation in the adult general population in Belgium : a meta-analysis.

Background And Study Aims: Although multiple HCV prevalence studies were recently performed in the general population from Belgium, they suffer from a lack of geographical representativeness, an insufficient number of participants or a lack of inclusion of high prevalence groups. The aim of this study is to provide robust information on the HCV burden.

Methods: Recently performed HCV prevalence studies in the general, adult population were included in this study, based on well-defined selection criteria.

Diagnostic hepatitis C testing of people in treatment for substance use disorders in Belgium between 2011 and 2014 : a cross-sectional study.

Background: Hepatitis C prevalence figures for people who use drugs in Belgium are scarce, and particularly for people who inject drugs. The current study refines the existing HCV estimates by focussing on diagnostic HCV testing practices for this population at risk.

Methods: The analysis is the result of a descriptive crosssectional study, based on data extracted from the linkage between a database of people in treatment for substance use disorders in Belgium and a database of the Belgian health insurance companies.

Low hepatitis C prevalence in Belgium: implications for treatment reimbursement and scale up.

Background: Prevalence data of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are needed to estimate the budgetary impact of reimbursement of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). In Belgium, the restricted reimbursement criteria are mainly guided by regional seroprevalence estimates of 0.87% from 1993 to 1994.

Distribution of HCV genotypes in Belgium from 2008 to 2015.

Background: The knowledge of circulating HCV genotypes and subtypes in a country is crucial to guide antiviral therapy and to understand local epidemiology. Studies investigating circulating HCV genotypes and their trends have been conducted in Belgium. However they are outdated, lack nationwide representativeness or were not conducted in the general population.