Strategies for Removal of Barriers to Hepatitis C Elimination in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major global health threat, with serious consequences including liver cirrhosis and cancer. Despite efforts to combat HCV, an estimated 1.5 million new infections occur each year and HCV was the sixth leading cause of death in 2017. Nevertheless, political leaders are increasingly interested in the fight against HCV, and the achievements of countries such as Rwanda, Egypt, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, Georgia, and Ukraine have given hope that the elimination plan to reduce new infections to 90% and mortality to 65% by 2030 is possible. It is true that some African countries can attest to the difficulty of operationalizing the HCV program with expensive testing platforms and HCV drugs that few could afford in the past, let alone the logistics involved, given that active case detection is an asset for HCV elimination. The inability to add direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) to the national essential drug list and negotiate DAA cost subsidies remains a major challenge in Africa. The lessons learned from implementing and scaling up the human immunodeficiency virus program can provide a strong framework to deliver comprehensive HCV services. We present the strategies used by some African countries to move toward HCV elimination, describe the challenges they have faced, and suggest realistic solutions.