Hepatitis C treatment outcomes among people who inject drugs accessing harm reduction settings in Kenya.

To date, studies examining HCV treatment outcomes among PWID using DAA therapy have been conducted predominantly in higher income settings. Individuals who had a detectable HCV viral load at post-treatment week 12 or those who were missing an HCV viral load at post-treatment week 12 were classified as a treatment failure. Keywords: Africa; DAA; HCV; LMIC; PWID EN Africa DAA HCV LMIC PWID 691 694 4 07/13/22 20220801 NES 220801 Abbreviations APRI Aspartate Aminotransferase to Platelet Ratio Index CTP Child-Turcotte-Pugh DAA Direct-acting antivirals DOT Directly observed therapy FIB-4 Fibrosis-4 HBV Hepatitis B virus HCV Hepatitis C virus KSH Kenyan shilling LDV Ledipasvir LMICs Low- and middle-income countries MAT Medication-assisted treatment NSP Needle and syringe programmes PCM Peer case manager PWID People who inject drugs SOF Sofosbuvir SSA Sub-Saharan Africa SVR Sustained virologic response INTRODUCTION Although between 10 and 15 million of the estimated 71 million people worldwide living with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) live in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),1 recent data suggest only 1% of these individuals have accessed HCV treatment.1 Diminished access has been attributed to the financial and geographical barriers to general medical care, and limited regional availability of direct-acting antivirals (DAA). [Extracted from the article]