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Abstract Denmark has signed the WHO strategy to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the absence of a national strategy for elimination, a local action plan was developed in the Region of Southern Denmark (RSD). The aim of the strategy is to diagnose 90% of HCV-infected persons and treat 80% of those diagnosed by 2025. The strategy was developed by reviewing Danish data on HCV epidemiology and drug use to identify key populations for screening, linkage to care, and treatment. Based on available published data from 2016, an estimated 3028 persons in the RSD were HCV-RNA positive (population prevalence 0.21%). Of these, 1002 were attending clinical care, 1299 were diagnosed but not in clinical care, and 727 were undiagnosed. Three different interventions targeting the HCV-infected population and two interventions for HCV surveillance are planned to achieve elimination. The “C-Free-South” strategy aims to eliminate HCV in our region by identifying (90%) and treating (80%) of infected persons by the end of 2025, 5 years earlier than the WHO elimination target date.

Construction errors in multiple-choice items are quite prevalent and constitute threats to test validity of multiple-choice tests. Currently very little research on the usefulness of systematic item screening by local review committees before test administration seem to exist. The aim of this study was therefore to examine validity and feasibility aspects of review committee screening for item flaws. We examined the reliability of item reviewers’ independent judgments of the presence/absence of item flaws with a generalizability study design and found only moderate reliability using five reviewers. Statistical analyses of actual exam scores could be a more efficient way of identifying flaws and improving average item discrimination of tests in local contexts. The question of validity of human judgments of item flaws is important - not just for sufficiently sound quality assurance procedures of tests in local test contexts - but also for the global research on item flaws.

The burden of Schistosoma haematobium-associated bladder cancer is very high in Africa; nevertheless the disease can pose considerable diagnostic challenges in low prevalence countries. We present the case of a 40-year-old HIV co-infected woman, originally from Mozambique, who had persisting haematuria for more than a year. Investigations revealed invasive S. haematobium-associated squamous cell bladder cancer. If her origin had been taken into account, the diagnosis might have been made earlier. Awareness of the disease prevalence among HIV co-infected patients from endemic areas and timely screening of such patients is important for the early diagnosis of schistosomiasis and related complications, such as S. haematobium-associated squamous cell bladder cancer.