英國提早三年達到WHO 2020年C型肝炎目標
資料來源：Julia Robinson，藥學雜誌，2019年4月17日，財團法人台灣紅絲帶基金會編譯
自2015年以來，英國與肝炎相關的死亡人數下降了16％以上，提前三年達到世界衛生組織的目標。
Source: Shutterstock.com; 英國已經提前三年達到世界衛生組織的目標，即是將C型肝炎相關之死亡率降低10％
根據英國公共衛生部（PHE）公佈的數據，2015年至2017年期間，與嚴重C型肝炎（HCV）相關的肝病死亡人數下降了16％以上。
因此，英國已提前三年達到世界衛生組織（WHO）的目標，即到2020年將HCV相關死亡率降低10％。
這種結果被認為是治療之供應併同直接作用之抗病毒藥物的可獲性增加的結果，特別是對於患有更晚期HCV疾病的那些人。
然而，該報告亦估計於2018年英國有113,000人患有慢性HCV，目前亦有多達79,000人患有未確診的活動性HCV感染。
根據PHE的報告，靜脈注射藥物仍然是HCV感染最重要的危險因素。
PHE的高級科學家海倫·哈里斯說：「C丙型肝炎感染可能會產生毀滅性的後果，因此更多的人正在接受治療，且更少的人死於這種疾病，這是一個巨大的、非常受歡迎的一步」。
但她也強調，要如世界衛生組織關於病毒性肝炎的全球衛生部門策略（GHSS）所述，到2030年將此一公共衛生上主要威脅的疾病予以消除，將需要採取更多措施。
PHE表示，其願景是任何有HCV感染風險的人都能夠輕鬆地獲得C肝檢測，一旦經過檢測，則應採取降低感染風險的措施或者是防止病毒進一步傳播。
到2030年除了要消除HCV作為主要的公共衛生威脅之外，世界衛生組織的GHSS還要求最遲在2030年前，要減少80％的慢性HCV感染和降低65％的HCV死亡率。
England hits WHO 2020 hepatitis C target three years early
The Pharmaceutical Journal17 APR 2019 By Julia Robinson
Deaths in England related to hepatits C have fallen by more than 16% since 2015, hitting the World Health Organization’s target three years early.
Source: Shutterstock.com
England has hit the World Health Organization’s target to reduce hepatitis-C-related mortality by 10% three years early
Deaths from liver disease related to serious hepatitis C (HCV) fell by more than 16% between 2015 and 2017, according to data published by Public Health England (PHE).
As a result, England has hit the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) target to reduce HCV related mortality by 10% by 2020 three years early.
This is thought to be the result of increased treatment provision, together with the availability of direct-acting antiviral drugs, particularly for those with more advanced HCV disease.
However, the report estimates that 113,000 people were living with chronic HCV in England in 2018, and up to 79,000 people are currently living with undiagnosed active HCV infection.
According to the PHE report, injecting drug use continues to be the most important risk factor for HCV infection.
“Hepatitis C infection can have devastating consequences, so the fact that more people are accessing treatment and fewer people are dying from the disease is a huge and very welcome step forward,” said Helen Harris, senior scientist at PHE.
But she highlighted that more needs to be done to eliminate the disease as a major public health threat by 2030, as laid out in the WHO’s global health sector strategy (GHSS) on viral hepatitis.
PHE said its vision was for all people at risk of HCV infection to have easy access to testing and, once tested, that action should be taken to either reduce their risk of infection or to prevent further transmission of the virus.
As well as eliminating HCV as a major public health threat by 2030, the WHO’s GHSS also calls for an 80% reduction of chronic HCV infection and 65% reduction in HCV mortality by 2030 at the latest.