Spatial mapping of hepatitis C prevalence in recent injecting drug users in contact with services

Abstract

SUMMARYIn developed countries the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections occur in injecting drug users (IDUs) with prevalence in IDUs often high, but with wide geographical differences within countries. Estimates of local prevalence are needed for planning services for IDUs, but it is not practical to conduct HCV seroprevalence surveys in all areas. In this study survey data from IDUs attending specialist services were collected in 52/149 sites in England between 2006 and 2008. Spatially correlated random-effects models were used to estimate HCV prevalence for all sites, using auxiliary data to aid prediction. Estimates ranged from 14 % to 82 %, with larger cities, London and the North West having the highest HCV prevalence. The methods used generated robust estimates for each area, with a well-identified spatial pattern that improved predictions. Such models may be of use in other areas of study where surveillance data are sparse.

Exploring patient characteristics and barriers to Hepatitis C treatment in patients on opioid substitution treatment attending a community based fibro-scanning clinic

“…[8,[12][13] There is a high prevalence of HCV within the aging PWID population, characterized JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL INTERNAL MEDICINE / APR-JUN 2017 / VOL 5 | ISSUE 2 by many undiagnosed cases and failure to access treatment [14] Surveillance and monitoring of HCV in Europe, particularly regarding levels of antiviral treatment uptake among PWID are limited. [15][16][17] Recent increases in HCV infection among PWID in some European countries are reported despite increased efforts to upscale the HCV cascade of care. [18,19] Low rates of HCV treatment uptake and sub-optimal access are reported among PWID.…”

New treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV): scope for preventing liver disease and HCV transmission in England

“…For example, estimates of the PWID population range from less than 100 000 to nearly 200 000 . Average prevalence of HCV in PWID in England is reasonably well established but subject to substantial local variation , which greatly affects the impact of treatment as prevention ; further, treatment rates in PWID vary substantially between settings . Length of injecting career is highly uncertain, with very limited data that can provide reliable estimates .…”

“…Therefore, any HCV intervention focusing on prevention of new infections requires targeting PWID; that is, those with an ongoing risk of transmission rather than those that have permanently ceased injecting. Prevalence of HCV antibodies in PWID is around 50% in England, but varies geographically from less than 20% to over 70% . Primary prevention of HCV, such as needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) and opiate substitution therapy (OST), can prevent HCV transmission , but in isolation are unlikely to reduce HCV transmission to very low levels .…”

Spatial Patterns of Hepatitis C Disease in Ghadezai Tehsil District Buner,Khyber Paktunkhwa, Pakistan

“…The infections are high as 83 million in the continent Asia. The infection caused by HCV in Africa is 28 million and America and Europe have 16 and 17.5 million respectively [2,3].…”

“…They are used for different descriptive purposes, to make hypotheses as to etiology, for surveillance to show areas at high risk, and to aid policy formation and resource allocation. They are also useful to help place specific disease clusters and results of point-source studies in proper context [3,6]. Medical Geography deals the distribution of disease and analysis of geographically indexed health data with respect to demographic, environmental, behavioral, socioeconomic, genetic, and infectious risk factors [7,8].…”