Policy and Strategy for Hepatitis C Virus Elimination at the National Level: Experience in Taiwan
Rong‐Nan Chien, Sheng‐Nan Lu, Grace Hui‐Min Wu, Wen-Wen Yang, Raoh‐Fang Pwu, Chia‐Ling Liu, Kuo-Pen Cheng, Shih-Chung Chen, Chien‐Jen Chen
Abstract
The estimated prevalence of anti-HCV was 3.1% in Taiwan. Studies have shown iatrogenic behavior was the major transmission route. It is highest in specific populations including patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), human immunodeficiency virus infection, who inject drug (PWID), and under opioid substitution treatment. Approximately 405,160 patients were seropositive for HCV RNA and in need of treatment. Taiwan government claims to reach WHO's 2030 goal of HCV elimination by 2025 and works hard to resolve several barriers of HCV elimination including political commitment, sustainable financing, minimize reimbursement restrictions, instituted monitoring, and perform micro-elimination of specific populations. The last stage of HCV elimination is to accelerate the universal HCV screening program of populations aged 45-79 years and resolve the unawareness issue of HCV infection. Hopefully, we can achieve the targets of HCV elimination set by WHO and reach the goal earlier in 2025.