Global reporting of progress towards elimination of hepatitis B and hepatitis C.

Background: The 69th World Health Assembly endorsed the global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Achieving and measuring the 2030 targets requires a substantial increase in the capacity to test and treat viral hepatitis infections and a mechanism to monitor the progress of hepatitis elimination. This study aimed to identify the gaps in data availability or quality and create a new mechanism to monitor the progress of hepatitis elimination.

National policies for delivering tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B and C virus infection services for refugees and migrants among Member States of the WHO European Region.

Background/objective: Refugees and migrants to the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region are disproportionately affected by infections, including tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B and C (HBV/HCV) compared with the host population. There are inequities in the accessibility and quality of health services available to refugees and migrants in the Region. This has consequences for health outcomes and will ultimately impact the ability to meet Regional infection elimination targets.

Uptake of the lateral flow urine LAM test in Europe and Central Asia.

Since 2015 (updated in 2019), the WHO has recommended to include the commercial lateral flow urine lipoarabinomannan TB test (LF-LAM), AlereLAM, in the diagnostic toolkit for severely ill people living with HIV. To assess the current use and barriers to the implementation of the test, we conducted an electronic survey among national focal points and managers of TB and HIV programmes in the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region and a European network of clinicians working in TB and HIV medicine. In all, 45 individual responses (37 countries) were received from programme managers and focal points and 17 responses (14 countries) from clinicians.

Integrated use of laboratory services for multiple infectious diseases in the WHO European Region during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Technical advances in diagnostic techniques have permitted the possibility of multi-disease-based approaches for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of several infectious diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STI). However, in many countries, diagnosis and monitoring, as well as disease response programs, still operate as vertical systems, potentially causing delay in diagnosis and burden to patients and preventing the optimal use of available resources. With countries facing both human and financial resource constraints, during the COVID-19 pandemic even more than before, it is important that available resources are used as efficiently as possible, potential synergies are leveraged to maximise benefit for patients, continued provision of essential health services is ensured.