Work

O12 Australia could meet the WHO HCV elimination targets if the current rollout of DAA treatment is continued

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Results: (1) Among 153 PLHCV and PWID, past 12 month experiences of stigma and discrimination is common in relation to injecting drug use (54%) and hepatitis C (50%), 49% reported being treated negatively or differently to other people by health workers;(2) The outcomes of treatment noted as important by participants included: physical effects (less fatigue and feeling "more enthusiastic about life"); social connections (being able to consider intimate relationships and feeling more relaxed about HCV risk in interactions with family); and, changes in identity (feeling relieved to lose the HCV "label" as well as feeling "lost" without this identity).Provision of information was patchy, especially regarding post-treatment care.Conclusion: Ongoing monitoring of stigma is important to identifying changes in trends over time and potential strategies to reduce experiences of stigma and discrimination.Factors beyond cure need to be considered in monitoring the experience and outcomes of HCV DAA treatment for people who inject drugs.

Source: Journal of Virus Eradication

DOI: 10.1016/s2055-6640(20)30895-5