Historical epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in select countries – volume 3

Liakina V, Hamid S, Tanaka J, Olafsson S, Sharara AI, Alavian SM, Gheorghe L, El Hassan ES, Abaalkhail F, Abbas Z, Abdou A, Abourached A, Al Braiki F, Al Hosani F, Al Jaberi K, Al Khatry M, Al Mulla MA, Al Quraishi H, Al Rifai A, Al Serkal Y, Alam A, Alashgar HI, Alawadhi S, Al-Dabal L, Aldins P, Alfaleh FZ, Alghamdi AS, Al-Hakeem R, Aljumah AA, Almessabi A, Alqutub AN, Alswat KA, Altraif I, Alzaabi M, Andrea N, Assiri AM, Babatin MA, Baqir A, Barakat MT, Bergmann OM, Bizri AR, Blach S, Chaudhry A, Choi MS, Diab T, Djauzi S, El Khoury S, Estes C, Fakhry S, Farooqi JI, Fridjonsdottir H, Gani RA, Ghafoor Khan A, Goldis A, Gottfredsson M, Gregorcic S, Hajarizadeh B, Han KH, Hasan I, Hashim A, Horvath G, Hunyady B, Husni R, Jafri W, Jeruma A, Jonasson JG, Karlsdottir B, Kim DY, Kim YS, Koutoubi Z, Lesmana LA, Lim YS, Löve A, Maimets M, Makara M, Malekzadeh R, Matičič M, Memon MS, Merat S, Mokhbat JE, Mourad FH, Muljono DH, Nawaz A, Nugrahini N, Priohutomo S, Qureshi H, Rassam P, Razavi H, Razavi-Shearer D, Razavi-Shearer K, Rozentale B, Sadik M, Saeed K, Salamat A, Salupere R, Sanai FM, Sanityoso Sulaiman A, Sayegh RA, Schmelzer JD, Sibley A, Siddiq M, Siddiqui AM, Sigmundsdottir G, Sigurdardottir B, Speiciene D, Sulaiman A, Sultan MA, Taha M, Tarifi H, Tayyab G, Tolmane I, Ud Din M, Umar M, Valantinas J, Videčnik-Zorman J, Yaghi C, Yunihastuti E, Yusuf MA, Zuberi BF, Gunter J. Historical epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in select countries – volume 3. J Viral Hepat. 2015 Dec;22 Suppl 4:4-20. doi: 10.1111/jvh.12475. PMID: 26513445.

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Summary

Detailed, country-specific epidemiological data are needed to characterize the burden of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection around the world. With new treatment options available, policy makers and public health officials must reconsider national strategies for infection control. In this study of 15 countries, published and unpublished data on HCV prevalence, viraemia, genotype, age and gender distribution, liver transplants and diagnosis and treatment rates were gathered from the literature and validated by expert consensus in each country. Viraemic prevalence in this study ranged from 0.2% in Iran and Lebanon to 4.2% in Pakistan. The largest viraemic populations were in Pakistan (7,001,000 cases) and Indonesia (3,187,000 cases). Injection drug use (IDU) and a historically unsafe blood supply were major risk factors in most countries. Diagnosis, treatment and liver transplant rates varied widely between countries. However, comparison across countries was difficult as the number of cases changes over time. Access to reliable data on measures such as these is critical for the development of future strategies to manage the disease burden.

Countries: Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Pakistan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates