CONGRESS 2023 - What is new in hepatitis?
Despite effective treatments and vaccines viral hepatitis remains a massive burden on global health affecting the poorest counties disproportionately. Effective treatments and diagnostics for hepatitis remain outside the reach of most people in resource-poor regions. In contrast, UK strategies against viral hepatitis have been relatively successful, in particular the prospect of HCV elimination, which is already showing improved outcomes in liver health. Effective strategies depend on high quality epidemiological data which is gleaned from a wide variety of sources including diagnostic laboratory reporting, sentinel surveillance programs and prospective screening of high-risk groups. The key components preventing transmission of blood-borne viruses such as donor screening, surveillance of susceptible groups and vaccination are now further enhanced by retrospective case finding from historical data, opt-out screening in emergency departments and high intensity test-and-treat events in prisons. Biomedical Scientists can make a valuable contribution towards viral hepatitis management by sharing local-level data, enabling practical testing solutions for marginalised groups and working closely with clinical teams.
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Learning outcomes
Lecture will examine following areas:
- Overview of scale of viral hepatitis both globally and nationally, the burden of disease and economic costs.
- Examine how local diagnostic data is collected from laboratories and other stakeholders, transfer of epidemiological data and how this is analysed / by whom. How testing data from a bench level impacts on national strategy for elimination / screening etc. Sentinel surveillance centres as a richer source of hepatitis data than routine reporting. Hepatitis Dashboard.
- Case study on prison HCV micro-elimination events, who is involved, why prisons are important areas for hepatitis control, role of HCV ODN's. Success stories.
- Other topical areas in viral hepatitis: enhanced study of MTCT of HBV, outbreaks of Hep E / A, vaccine research.