Integrating viral hepatitis and harm reduction services
When? Tuesday, 5 September 2023 - 9:30 AM - GMT+1 (London time).
Where? Online
Harm Reduction International (HRI) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Secretariat, are pleased to invite you to participate in a webinar on Integrating Viral Hepatitis and Harm Reduction Services, to be held on 5 September 2023 at 9:30AM British Summer Time.
Viral hepatitis— hepatitis C (HCV) and hepatitis B (HBV) — affects more than 325 million people worldwide, with 90 percent of infections concentrated in low- and middle-income countries. 80 percent of people living with hepatitis lack prevention, testing and treatment services leading to an estimated 1.4 million deaths per year. Although Hepatitis C is curable in more than 95% of patients with direct acting antivirals (DAAs), only 7% of those infected receive treatment.
The World Health Assembly endorsed the landmark global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis 2016-2021, which resulted in 194 governments committing to the elimination of viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Without strong political will, multistakeholder collaboration and advocacy, countries will fail, and we will miss our biggest opportunity to seize the momentum and eliminate this global killer.
This webinar will showcase models of harm reduction and viral hepatitis testing, treatment, and care integration. This will be an opportunity for governments and implementers to increase their knowledge of the benefits of integrating viral hepatitis with harm reduction services and the pathways to integration.