Practical solutions to resolve social barriers to hepatitis C treatment initiation among people who inject drugs: a qualitative study.

Background: We aimed to identify motivators for people who inject drugs to pursue treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and uncover opportunities that could make treatment more appealing.

Methods: Between November 2023 and January 2024, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 HCV RNA-positive individuals with a history of injecting drug use and self-reported as either untreated or treated but delayed treatment for more than 6 months. Thematic and framework data analysis was employed and interpreted using the Capability, Opportunity and Motivation (COM-B) framework of behaviour change.

Protektem pikinini blong yu trial: protocol for a single arm field trial to assess the effectiveness of treating-all pregnant women with hepatitis B infection with tenofovir prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission in Vanuatu, 2024-2025.

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a major public health concern in Vanuatu, with approximately 9% of the general population estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B. Most new infections are due to mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Hepatitis B vaccination is available in Vanuatu, but coverage rates for first dose within 24 h of birth and third dose are suboptimal.

Control and Elimination of Hepatitis C Virus Among People With HIV in Australia: Extended Follow-up of the CEASE Cohort (2014-2023).

Background: Approximately 10% of people with HIV in Australia had active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prior to availability of government-subsidized direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in 2016. This analysis evaluated progress toward HCV elimination among people with HIV in Australia between 2014 and 2023.

Methods: The CEASE cohort study enrolled adults with HIV with past or current HCV infection (anti-HCV antibody positive) from 14 primary and tertiary clinics.

A longitudinal study of alcohol consumption among adults in Victoria, Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objectives: Whilst public health measures were effective in reducing COVID-19 transmission, unintended negative consequences may have occurred. This study aims to assess changes alcohol consumption and the heavy episodic drinking (HED) during the pandemic.

Methods: Data were from the Optimise Study, a longitudinal cohort of Australian adults September 2020-August 2022 that over-sampled priority populations at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, developing severe COVID-19 or experiencing adverse consequences of lockdowns.

Phenotyping people with a history of injecting drug use within electronic medical records using an interactive machine learning approach.

People with a history of injecting drug use are a priority for eliminating blood-borne viruses and sexually transmissible infections. Identifying them for disease surveillance in electronic medical records (EMRs) is challenged by sparsity of predictors. This study introduced a novel approach to phenotype people who have injected drugs using structured EMR data and interactive human-in-the-loop methods.

Predictors of treatment outcomes for Hepatitis C infection in a nationwide elimination program in Iceland: The treatment as prevention for Hepatitis C (TraP HepC) study.

Background: Limited data exists about treatment outcomes in nationwide hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination programs where injection drug use (IDU) is the main mode of transmission. In 2016 Iceland initiated the HCV elimination program known as Treatment as Prevention for Hepatitis C (TraP HepC). Factors associated with HCV cure in this population are examined.

Cost-Effectiveness of Treating Hepatitis C in Clients on Opioid Agonist Therapy in Community Pharmacies Compared to Primary Healthcare in Australia.

Meeting the World Health Organisation 2030 target of treating 80% of people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Australia requires accessible testing and treatment services for at-risk populations. Previous clinical trials, including those in Australia, have demonstrated the efficacy of outreach programmes to community pharmacies offering opioid agonist therapy (OAT). This analysis evaluates the potential cost-effectiveness of introducing an outreach programme in community pharmacies.

Utilising integrated bio-behavioural surveillance (IBBS) to investigate declining hepatitis C antibody prevalence among people who inject drugs in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey.

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) decreased nationally from 57 % in 2015 to 32 % in 2022. We aimed to investigate potential explanations for this decline.

Methods: Changes in DBS HCV Ab prevalence were investigated by redefining positive cases as those with those with either a positive HCV Ab test result or a self-reported history of ever having HCV treatment (modified prevalence), examining HCV Ab prevalence by birth and age cohorts, and assessing trends in key risk behaviours.

Financial incentives to increase engagement across the hepatitis C care cascade among people at risk of or diagnosed with hepatitis C: A systematic review.

Background: Reversing declining rates of people initiating and completing hepatitis C (HCV) treatment, observed in many countries, is needed to achieve global HCV elimination goals. Providing financial incentives to increase HCV testing and treatment uptake among people at-risk of or living with HCV infection could be an effective intervention. We conducted a systematic review to assess evidence regarding the effectiveness of financial incentives to improve engagement and progression through the HCV care cascade.

Syphilis testing, incidence, and reinfection among gay and bisexual men in Australia over a decade spanning HIV PrEP implementation: an analysis of surveillance data from 2012 to 2022.

Background: Gay and bisexual men (GBM) remain overrepresented among syphilis diagnoses in Australia and globally. The extent to which changes in sexual networks associated with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and treatment as prevention (TasP) may have influenced syphilis transmission among GBM at the population-level is poorly understood. We describe trends in syphilis testing and incidence among GBM in Australia over eleven years spanning widespread uptake of HIV PrEP and TasP.

Utilising Integrated Bio-behavioural Surveillance (IBBS) to investigate declining hepatitis C antibody prevalence among people who inject drugs in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey.

Background: Prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) on dried blood spot (DBS) samples in the Australian Needle and Syringe Program Survey (ANSPS) decreased nationally from 57% in 2015 to 32% in 2022. We aimed to investigate potential explanations for this decline.

Methods: Changes in DBS HCV Ab prevalence were investigated by redefining positive cases as those with those with either a positive HCV Ab test result or a self-reported history of ever having HCV treatment (modified prevalence), examining HCV Ab prevalence by birth and age cohorts, and assessing trends in key risk behaviours.

Improving Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Outcomes in Patients with Cirrhosis after Hepatitis C Cure: A Modelling Study.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents a significant global health challenge, particularly among individuals with liver cirrhosis, with hepatitis C (HCV) a major cause. In people with HCV-related cirrhosis, an increased risk of HCC remains after cure. HCC surveillance with six monthly ultrasounds has been shown to improve survival.

What Lies Beneath? The Role of Community Engagement in Translating COVID-19 Research Findings to Policy-Makers.

Background: Community engagement is key to developing local and context-specific strategies for the prevention and control of COVID-19. However, expedited research design and approval in the early days of the pandemic may have limited the opportunities for community members to influence pandemic-related research. In this study, we sought to understand how a Community Engagement Group (CEG) could impact a large longitudinal COVID-19 research project (Optimise), when involved solely in the interpretation and knowledge translation phases of the research.

The Application of Australian Rights Protections to the Use of Hepatitis C Notification Data to Engage People 'Lost to Follow Up'.

Hepatitis C is a global public health threat, affecting 56 million people worldwide. The World Health Organization has committed to eliminating hepatitis C by 2030. Although new treatments have revolutionised the treatment and care of people with hepatitis C, treatment uptake has slowed in recent years, drawing attention to the need for innovative approaches to reach elimination targets.

Same-visit hepatitis C testing and treatment to accelerate cure among people who inject drugs (the QuickStart Study): a cluster randomised cross-over trial protocol.

Introduction: Despite universal access to government-funded direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in 2016, the rate of hepatitis C treatment uptake in Australia has declined substantially. Most hepatitis C is related to injecting drug use; reducing the hepatitis C burden among people who inject drugs (PWID) is, therefore, paramount to reach hepatitis C elimination targets. Increasing DAA uptake by PWID is important for interrupting transmission and reducing incidence, as well as reducing morbidity and mortality and improving quality of life of PWID and meeting Australia's hepatitis C elimination targets.

Correction: Health and economic benefits of achieving hepatitis C virus elimination in Pakistan: A modelling study and economic analysis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.

Annual hepatitis C testing and positive tests among gay and bisexual men in Australia from 2016 to 2022: a serial cross-sectional analysis of sentinel surveillance data.

Objective: Guidelines recommend annual hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing for gay and bisexual men (GBM) with HIV and GBM prescribed HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, there is a limited understanding of HCV testing among GBM. We aimed to examine trends in HCV testing and positivity from 2016 to 2022.

COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities: an agent-based modeling study.

Introduction: A disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths occur in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), where better evidence is needed to target COVID-19 interventions to prevent mortality. This study used an agent-based model to assess the role of community prevalence, vaccination strategies, and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on COVID-19 outcomes in RACFs in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: The model simulated outbreaks in RACFs over time, and was calibrated to distributions for outbreak size, outbreak duration, and case fatality rate in Victorian RACFs over 2022.

Risk of Primary Incident Hepatitis C Infection Following Bacterial Sexually Transmissible Infections Among Gay and Bisexual Men in Australia From 2016 to 2020.

Background: In Australia, the incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has declined among gay and bisexual men (GBM) with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) since 2015 and is low among GBM using HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, ongoing HCV testing and treatment remains necessary to sustain this. To assess the potential utility of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) to inform HCV testing among GBM with HIV and GBM using PrEP, we examined the association between bacterial STI diagnoses and subsequent primary HCV infection.