The hepatitis C epidemic in Canada: An overview of recent trends in surveillance, injection drug use, harm reduction and treatment

Hepatitis C continues to be a significant public health concern in Canada, with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) responsible for more life-years lost than all other infectious diseases in Canada. An increase in reported hepatitis C infections was observed between 2014 and 2018. Here, we present changing epidemiological trends and discuss risk factors for hepatitis C acquisition in Canada that may have contributed to this increase in reported hepatitis C infections, focusing on injection drug use. We describe a decrease in the use of borrowed needles or syringes coupled with an increase in using other used injection drug use equipment. Also, an increased prevalence of injection drug use and use of prescription opioid and methamphetamine injection by people who inject drugs (PWID) may be increasing the risk of HCV acquisition. At the same time, while harm reduction coverage appears to have increased in Canada in recent years, gaps in access and coverage remain. We also consider how direct-acting antiviral (DAA) eligibility expansion may have affected hepatitis C rates from 2014 to 2018. Finally, we present new surveillance trends observed in 2019 and discuss how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may affect hepatitis C case counts from 2020 onwards. Continual efforts to i) enhance hepatitis C surveillance and ii) strengthen the reach, effectiveness, and adoption of hepatitis C prevention and treatment services across Canada are vital to reducing HCV transmission among PWID and achieving Canada’s HCV elimination targets by 2030..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:47

Enthalten in:

Canada Communicable Disease Report - 47(2021), 12, Seite 505-514

Sprache:

Englisch ; Französisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Lillian Lourenço [VerfasserIn]
Marian Kelly [VerfasserIn]
Jill Tarasuk [VerfasserIn]
Kyla Stairs [VerfasserIn]
Maggie Bryson [VerfasserIn]
Nashira Popovic [VerfasserIn]
Josephine Aho [VerfasserIn]

Links:

doi.org [kostenfrei]
doaj.org [kostenfrei]
www.canada.ca [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]

Themen:

Canadian drugs and substances strategy
Epidemiology
Hcv
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Needle-and-syringe programs
People who inject drugs
Pwid
Substance use
Supervised consumption

doi:

10.14745/ccdr.v47i12a01

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

DOAJ009639608