Cooperate with community health centers to eliminate HCV in low prevalence region of South China

ABSTRACT

Background: Shenzhen, a city of immigrants in South China, has a low HCV incidence rate of 19.47 per 100,000. To eliminate HCV in this low prevalence region, it may be efficiency to collaborate with the communities to screen HCV in high risk population. There are 849 Community Health Centers up to now in Shenzhen. The study aimed to evaluate the model of HCV elimination in high-risk population with Community Health Centers. Method(s) The Shenzhen Medical Association assigned hepatologists to educate Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) of 13 Community Health Centers in Bao'an District from 2021.6-2022.6. The PCPs need to take HCV knowledge tests before and after the training. Only when all the questions are answered correctly can the test be passed. Then they recommend the high risk population, e.g., PWID, pricking wound, iatrogenic exposure, to do the HCV antibody test and transfer the patients with HCV-Ab (+) to the hepatologist of Shenzhen Bao'an People's Hospital. Result(s) 151 PCPs participated in HCV knowledge education, the pass rate improved from 15.2% to 53.8% after the training. The high risk population screening number in Community Health Centers improved from 192 (a year before) to 300, even affected by the lockdown of COVID-19. The HCV antibody positive rate in high risk population is 4% (12/300), higher than the hospital population (0.8%, Shenzhen Bao'an People's Hospital), the blood donor (0.3%, Shenzhen Blood Center). The HCV-Ab positive patients in communities transferred to Shenzhen Bao'an People's Hospital, where the rate of DAA treatment is improved from 36.6% (a year before) to 64.1%. Conclusion(s) It is an efficient way to achieve HCV elimination earlier to screening in high risk population through PCPs in low prevalence region. Expanding this model to other Community Health Centers in Shenzhen may accelerate HCV elimination. (Figure Presented).