ABSTRACT
Background: To validate an innovative eradication model for HCV infection in undocumented migrants and low-income refugees living Southern Italy. Method(s): a prospective, multicenter, collaborative study was started in June 2018 with The study was stopped in February 2020 due to the outbreak of SARS-CoV- 2 infection in Italy and was resumed in February 2021 until November 2021. At the six 1st level centers participating to the study volunteer associations that deal with the first needs of disadvantaged people performed the enrolment and the screening for anti-HCV, HBsAg and anti-HIV;epidemiological data were collected in an electronic database. Anti-HCV- positive subjects were sent to two 3rd level centers for the clinical, virological and therapeutic evaluation. For the HCV-RNA- positive subjects HCV genotyping and a clinical, biochemical and ultrasound staging was performed. The HCV RNA-positive subjects have been treated with sofosbuvir-velpatasvir for 12 weeks and followed for 12 months from the end of therapy Results: Of the 3,991 migrants observed in the study period, 3,897 (97.6%) accepted to be screened. They were young (median age 26 years), predominantly male (85.9%) and came from North Africa (3.8%), from Sub-Saharan Africa (68.4%), from Eastern Europe (8.1%), from Indo-Pakistan (17%) and from other countries (2.7%). Of the 3,897 enrolled subjects, 185 (4.7%) resulted anti-HCV positive. The Figure shows the HCV-cure cascade. All the 185 anti-HCV- positive subjects were linked to care at 3rdID and tested for HCV RNA and 53 (28.6%) resulted HCV-RNA positive. Of these, 48 (90.6%) started DAA regimen with sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir (16 with GT 1b, 11 with 1a, 16 with 3, 3 with 4 and 2 with 2). Of these 48 subjects, 47 (97.9%) showed a SVR12 and SVR 24, and one dropped-out in follow-up after the stop of DAA treatment. No subject had adverse event. Conclusion(s): This model seems to be effective to eradicate HCV infection among a difficult-to- manage population, such as undocumented migrants and low-income refugees. (Figure Presented).
ABSTRACT
Background and aims: To validate an innovative eradication model for HCV infection in undocumented migrants and low-income refugees living Southern Italy. Method: a prospective, multicenter, collaborative study was started in June 2018 with The studywas stopped in February 2020 due to the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Italy and was resumed in February 2021. At the six 1st level centers participating to the study volunteer associations that deal with the first needs of disadvantaged people performed the enrolment and the screening for anti-HCV, HBsAg and anti-HIV;epidemiological data were collected in an electronic database. Anti-HCV-positive subjects were sent to two 3rd level centers for the clinical, virological and therapeutic evaluation. For the HCV-RNA-positive subjects HCV genotyping and a clinical, biochemical and ultrasound staging was performed. The HCV RNApositive subjects have been treated with sofosbuvir-velpatasvir for 12 weeks and followed for 12 months from the end of therapy. Results: Of the 3, 991 migrants observed in the study period, 3, 897 (97.6%) accepted to be screened. They were young (median age 26 years), predominantly male (85.9%) and came from North Africa (3.8%), from Sub-Saharan Africa (68.4%), from Eastern Europe (8.1%), from Indo-Pakistan (17%) and from other countries (2.7%). Of the 3, 897 enrolled subjects, 185 (4.7%) resulted anti-HCV positive. The Figure shows the HCV-cure cascade. All the 185 anti-HCV-positive subjects were linked to care at 3rdID and tested for HCV RNA and 53 (28.6%) resulted HCV-RNA positive. Of these, 46 (86.8%) started DAA regimen with sofosbuvir plus velpatasvir (15 with GT 1b, 10 with 1a, 16 with 3, 3 with 4 and 2 with 2). Forty-two completed the follow-up and 4 was still pending. Of these 42 subjects, 41 (97.6%) showed a SVR12 and SVR 24, and one dropped-out in follow-up after the stop of DAA treatment. No subject had adverse event. (Figure Presented) Conclusion: This model seems to be effective to eradicate HCV infection among a difficult-to-manage population, such as undocumented migrants and low-income refugees
ABSTRACT
A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance study was performed in March-April 2020 among asymptomatic healthcare workers (HCWs) at a specialist infectious diseases hospital in Naples, Italy. All HCWs underwent two rounds of molecular and serological testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). One hundred and fifteen HCWs were tested; of these, two cases of infection were identified by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and two HCWs were SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G seropositive. The overall prevalence of current or probable previous infection was 3.4%. The infection rate among HCWs was reasonably low. Most of the infected HCWs had been asymptomatic for the preceding 30 days, which supports the need for periodic screening of HCWs for COVID-19.