Tag: Hepatitis C | Page 5

Talking about hepatitis C with immigrants and newcomers to Canada

July 7, 2021 • By Fozia Tanveer

In Canada, one in three people affected by hepatitis C was born outside of the country. Hepatitis C prevalence among Canadian immigrants and newcomers is double the overall Canadian prevalence. Research also shows that immigrants and newcomers experience worse health outcomes from viral hepatitis and liver cancer when compared to the Canadian-born population, including higher rates of hepatocellular carcinoma and mortality rates from viral hepatitis and liver cancer that are two to four times higher. Talking to Canadian immigrants about hepatitis C becomes very important given the fact that they are a population at risk of disease.

Holding governments accountable: Canada’s progress on viral hepatitis elimination

July 7, 2021 • By Jennifer van Gennip

In May 2021, Action Hepatitis Canada (AHC) released its Progress Toward Viral Hepatitis Elimination in Canada 2021 Report. Five years earlier, in May 2016, Canada had signed on to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first-ever Global Viral Hepatitis Strategy with the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. With both a cure for hepatitis C (HCV) and a vaccine for hepatitis B (HBV), this seemed to be a very realistic goal within a reasonable timeframe. But five years on, we had important questions about how Canada was really doing as time was ticking on.

The elimination of viral hepatitis in Canada: Where are we now and where can we go?

May 20, 2021 • By Shannon Elliot

At the last Canadian Liver Meeting in 2020, there was a palpable sense of optimism about the prospect of eliminating hepatitis C in Canada. Researchers, service providers and community members launched a blueprint outlining our collective goals and possible strategies, and we shared evidence from research and practice to guide policy and programs. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened. It had an enormous impact on our sector, with services scaled back, researchers and clinicians shifted to the COVID-19 response, and the communities most affected by hepatitis C also facing increased risks from COVID-19 and a growing overdose crisis.

The promise that the COVID-19 vaccine brings: A hepatitis C nurse’s perspective

March 23, 2021 • By Bernadette Lettner

Winding through the basement of the hospital, past the spin studio that has been closed for a long time, I follow the snaking line of people. I stand on my designated dot on the floor, a reminder of the physical distancing measures we’ve all grown accustomed to this past year. I go through registration, and then into another line, multiple staff directing me at every turn, ensuring we respect the space and flow in this most circuitous of marathons. I sit down beside a nurse, who goes through the consent form one last time, as she picks up the needle...

Indigenous responses to COVID-19 and hepatitis: A conference report back

January 28, 2021 • By Dr. Alexandra King and Sarah MacDonald

Viral hepatitis impacts Indigenous peoples around the world at much higher than average rates, harming their physical, spiritual, emotional, social and economic health. This is the result of historic and ongoing colonialism, and includes significantly worse health determinants, inadequate access to immunization and treatment, and inadequacies in the provision of culturally safe and responsive healthcare to Indigenous people. COVID-19 has further impacted Indigenous peoples, but many communities and healthcare practitioners are finding innovative ways of responding to the pandemic, while simultaneously trying to continue providing hepatitis care. Many of these responses were shared in a virtual mini-conference hosted by the...

Making OraQuick quicker: The VIRCAN 5-Minute Rule

January 20, 2021 • By David Smookler and Aaron Vanderhoff

Point-of-care (POC) tests for hepatitis C expand testing beyond clinical settings where a blood draw is not readily available. They are an important tool in the effort to eliminate hepatitis C as an endemic disease by 2030. The only Health Canada-approved POC test is the OraQuick hepatitis C antibody test, which requires a 20-minute wait before the results can be read.