Find the Missing Millions: Malaysia’s experience with nationwide hepatitis C screening campaign in the general population

Autor: Shahrul Aiman Soelar, Nazrila Hairizan Nasir, Rozainanee Mohd Zain, Rozita Zakaria, Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Rosaida Md Said, Norhayati Rusli, Huan-Keat Chan
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Viral Hepatitis. 27:638-643
ISSN: 1365-2893
1352-0504
DOI: 10.1111/jvh.13267
Popis: Approximately 2.5% of the Malaysian population is currently living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Yet, the public awareness of the disease is limited and under‐screening remains a major challenge. With the support of international non‐for‐profit organizations, the Ministry of Health in Malaysia recently launched a one‐week nationwide hepatitis C screening campaign in conjunction with the World Hepatitis Day. For the first time, the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for HCV screening was introduced in public health institutions. This campaign involved 49 hospitals and 38 health clinics across the country, targeting the adult general population with unknown HCV infection status. Of the 11382 participants undergoing the RDT, 1.9% were found to be positive for hepatitis C antibody (anti‐HCV) and were referred to on‐site medical departments or nearby hospitals for confirmatory testing and treatment. Men, the Malay ethnic group, intranasal and injection drug users and ex‐prisoners were shown to have higher odds of being positive for anti‐HCV. In addition to serving as a model to educate the general population about the disease, this campaign demonstrates the feasibility of decentralizing HCV screening, particularly by promoting the use of RDT, and linking the HCV‐infected patients to care in Malaysia.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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