Hepatitis C Virus Elimination Programs in Louisiana and Washington: Importance of Screening and Surveillance Systems.

The US government has established a national goal of hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination by 2030. To date, most HCV elimination planning and activity have been at the state level. Fifteen states presently have publicly available HCV elimination plans. In 2019, Louisiana and Washington were the first states to initiate 5-year funded HCV elimination programs. These states differ on motivation for pursuing HCV elimination and ranking on several indicators. Simultaneously, however, they have emphasized several similar elimination components including HCV screening promotion through public awareness, screening expansion, surveillance enhancement (including electronic reporting and task force development), and harm reduction. The 13 other states with published elimination plans have proposed the majority of the elements identified by Louisiana and Washington, but several have notable gaps. Louisiana's and Washington's comprehensive plans, funding approaches, and programs provide a useful framework that can move states and the nation toward HCV elimination.
Competing Interests: Financial Disclosures of Potential and Actual Conflicts of Interest: R.F. has received funds paid to his institution from Gilead Sciences, Inc, Abbvie, Merck & Co, Inc, and a consulting fee from Thera technologies. S.N.K. has received funds paid to his institution from Gilead Sciences, Inc, for research related to hepatitis C and COVID-19. G.L.T. is a member of the Speaker's Bureau for Gilead Sciences, Inc. A.H.T. has received honoraria and funds to his institution from Gilead Sciences. None of the other authors have any conflicts of interest.
(Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)