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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has
updated the action plan for addressing viral hepatitis in the United States.
The updated plan outlines strategies to achieve four major goals between the
years 2017-2020 and indicators to help track progress. The goals include:
1. Prevent new viral hepatitis infections
2. Reduce deaths and improve the health of people living with
viral hepatitis
3. Reduce health disparities related to viral hepatitis
4. Coordinate, monitor, and report on implementation of viral hepatitis activities
To find out more about the strategies and indicators related to
these goals, click here.
Does your organization provide viral hepatitis services? If so,
please take 10 minutes to complete the Hepatitis Provider Inventory Survey. The
information collected in the survey will be used to determine what viral
hepatitis and supportive services are provided by each participating
organization, the specific needs of the organization, and to gather information
to update the Indiana State Department of Health Viral Hepatitis Resource
Guide. Click the link below to take the survey. Please feel free to forward to
partners.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XPKBBSB
The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new
treatment for hepatitis B. Tenofovir alafenamide (Vemlidy) matches the
older tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Viread) for antiviral activity against
hepatitis B.
Viread is one of the most effective antiviral drugs for
hepatitis, but it can cause bone loss and can lead to kidney
problems. Vemlidy is a once daily, 25 mg treatment that is less
than one-tenth the dose of Viread, which means less drug exposure for the
kidneys and bones.
To read more, click here.
In September 2016, the U.S. Department of Health & Human
Services hosted a meeting with multiple healthcare experts and
stakeholders to identify barriers to accessing hepatitis C treatment and
potential strategies for ensuring that people who are infected can get the
recommended treatment. The meeting focused on the perspectives, data, and
experiences that inform health care policies and practices. The report
from the Expert Consultation on
the Evidence for Early Hepatitis C Treatment in the United States
has been released and can be found on the HHS website.
To view the full report and slides from the meeting click here.
Researchers in France conducted a prospective study to
investigate the effects of sustained viral response (SVR) on outcomes of
patients with hepatitis C virus infection and compensated cirrhosis.
Data was collected from 1,323 patients receiving care at 35
clinical centers in France from 2006 to 2012. All participants were treated for
hepatitis C, first with interferon and then, if that failed, with direct-acting
antiviral therapy.
After a median follow-up period of 58.2 months, 668 (50.5
percent) of the
participants achieved an SVR. SVR was associated with a
decreased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatic
decompensation. Patients with SVRs also had a lower risk of cardiovascular
events and bacterial infections. Metabolic features were associated with a higher
risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with SVRs, but not in patients
with viremia. SVR affected overall mortality and death from liver-related and
non-liver-related causes. Similar results were obtained in a propensity
score-matched population.
To read the study abstract, click here.
AtlasPlus
The CDC has released AtlasPlus, a tool
that gives users the ability to create tables, maps, and charts using 15 years
of data for HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and tuberculosis
(TB). AtlasPlus offers significant upgrades from the original version of Atlas
including:
- Easy, quick access to the latest data by
county, state, or U.S. total
- 2015 data for HIV, STDs, and TB; 2014 data for
viral hepatitis
- An upgrade to the Tables function (Based on
user feedback, making it more intuitive to build tables based on the exact
subset of the data users want to view.)
- Improved chart capabilities such as line
graphs by year, bar charts by states or counties, pie charts for sex, bar
charts for age, race/ethnicity, transmission category (HIV), and country
of birth (TB)
- New ability to create two side-by-side maps or
charts, e.g., compare two diseases, two race/ethnicity groups, or two age
groups
- Mobile access
Click here to visit the page.
HepCure Toolkit
The HepCure Toolkit is a free online support resource for
hepatitis C providers and patients. The toolkit is comprised of three different
components: a weekly tele-education webinar series, provider dashboard, and a
patient app.
The Tele-Education Webinar Series is held every Tuesday from
4:30-5:30 p.m. EST and features many topics in hepatitis C. Continuing
education credits (CME/CNE) are offered through attendance of the
webinars. All of the webinars are archived for playback or download on
HepCure's Tumblr page.
For further details, click here.
Viral Hepatitis Serology Training
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has
training videos available for health professionals interested in understanding
the meanings of viral hepatitis serologic markers and how to interpret test
results. Participants will learn the different serologic tests for hepatitis A
virus (HAV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis D
virus (HDV), and hepatitis E virus (HEV). There are five separate videos, so
participants can choose the training they want. Visit the following link to
watch the videos:
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/resources/professionals/training/serology/training.htm
HCV Advocate website
Hcvadvocate.org is a website supported by the Hepatitis C Support Project and includes many free resources for anyone to utilize. The website has links to fact sheets and news articles and educational materials.
Check out the website by clicking here.
Immunization Action Coalition (IAC)
The IAC has many free handouts and facts sheets about hepatitis and many are available in multiple languages. Check out their website at http://www.immunize.org/.
A few handouts that are available…
o Hepatitis B Facts: Testing and Vaccination http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p2110.pdf
o If you, your parents, or your children were born in any of these places…http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4170.pdf
o Hepatitis B information for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4190.pdf
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