Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.

<h4>Background</h4>Treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) is very effective, achieving a cure in 50-90% of patients. Besides its own good for individuals, this most likely translates in reduced transmission, but this phenomenon has yet to be fully explored.<h4>Methods and findings</h4&g...

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Main Authors: Nicolas Durier, Chi Nguyen, Lisa J White
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034548&type=printable
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author Nicolas Durier
Chi Nguyen
Lisa J White
author_facet Nicolas Durier
Chi Nguyen
Lisa J White
author_sort Nicolas Durier
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) is very effective, achieving a cure in 50-90% of patients. Besides its own good for individuals, this most likely translates in reduced transmission, but this phenomenon has yet to be fully explored.<h4>Methods and findings</h4>In this mathematical modeling study done in the context of Vietnam, we estimated the public health benefit that HCV therapy for injecting drug users (IDUs) may achieve. Treatment coverage of 25, 50 and 75% of chronically HCV-infected IDUs (4 years into infection) is predicted to reduce the chronic HCV viremia prevalence respectively by 21, 37 and 50%, 11 years after full scale up to the intended coverage. At a constant 50% coverage level, earlier treatment, 3, 2, and 1 year into infection is predicted to reduce the chronic HCV viremia prevalence by 46, 60 and 85%. In these later 3 scenarios, for every 100 treatment courses provided, a total of respectively 50, 61 and 94 new infections could be averted. These benefits were projected in the context of current low coverage of methadone maintenance therapy and needles/syringes exchange programs, and these services expansion showed complementary preventive benefits to HCV therapy. The program treatment commitment associated with the various scenarios is deemed reasonable. Our model projections are robust under adjustment for uncertainty in the model parameter values.<h4>Conclusions</h4>In this case study in Vietnam, we project that treatment of HCV for injecting drug users will have a preventative herd effect in addition to curing patients in need for therapy, achieving a substantial reduction in HCV transmission and prevalence.
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spelling doaj-art-4f616043bdde424a91b4063230e7b5d02025-08-20T03:09:48ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-0174e3454810.1371/journal.pone.0034548Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.Nicolas DurierChi NguyenLisa J White<h4>Background</h4>Treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) is very effective, achieving a cure in 50-90% of patients. Besides its own good for individuals, this most likely translates in reduced transmission, but this phenomenon has yet to be fully explored.<h4>Methods and findings</h4>In this mathematical modeling study done in the context of Vietnam, we estimated the public health benefit that HCV therapy for injecting drug users (IDUs) may achieve. Treatment coverage of 25, 50 and 75% of chronically HCV-infected IDUs (4 years into infection) is predicted to reduce the chronic HCV viremia prevalence respectively by 21, 37 and 50%, 11 years after full scale up to the intended coverage. At a constant 50% coverage level, earlier treatment, 3, 2, and 1 year into infection is predicted to reduce the chronic HCV viremia prevalence by 46, 60 and 85%. In these later 3 scenarios, for every 100 treatment courses provided, a total of respectively 50, 61 and 94 new infections could be averted. These benefits were projected in the context of current low coverage of methadone maintenance therapy and needles/syringes exchange programs, and these services expansion showed complementary preventive benefits to HCV therapy. The program treatment commitment associated with the various scenarios is deemed reasonable. Our model projections are robust under adjustment for uncertainty in the model parameter values.<h4>Conclusions</h4>In this case study in Vietnam, we project that treatment of HCV for injecting drug users will have a preventative herd effect in addition to curing patients in need for therapy, achieving a substantial reduction in HCV transmission and prevalence.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034548&type=printable
spellingShingle Nicolas Durier
Chi Nguyen
Lisa J White
Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
PLoS ONE
title Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
title_full Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
title_fullStr Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
title_full_unstemmed Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
title_short Treatment of hepatitis C as prevention: a modeling case study in Vietnam.
title_sort treatment of hepatitis c as prevention a modeling case study in vietnam
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0034548&type=printable
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