this Ministry of Health and Consumption Junta de Andalucía presented at a public event for the scientific and professional communities on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Hepatitis C. Plan to eradicate hepatitis C in Andalusia, the Governing Council noted on October 11. During the day, the Minister of Health and Consumption, Catherine Garcia, He emphasized that the more successful we are in treating hepatitis C, the more the plan is an investment in health. fewer new infections and complications we’ll have in the future.”

“Hepatitis C usually does not show symptoms until the advanced stages of the disease, so it is estimated that thousands of people are infected and do not know it,” García said. Even so, “by 2021 they were treated with direct-acting antivirals in Andalusia. More than 22,600 people“, he stated.

Finally, the Minister emphasized that “there is still a long way to go and a lot of work to be done, but good cooperation between all sectors, health fields and different units will be necessary to achieve the set targets”. It is never necessary for us to overlook the actions necessary to reduce incidence, increase diagnostic capabilities and improve care“.

About the Plan to Eliminate Hepatitis C in Andalusia

The plan defines the four axes or general strategic lines along with the two diagonal lines necessary for proper development and implantation in Andalusia.

The four strategic lines or axes addressed in the plan are: health promotion, prevention and diagnosis, treatment and epidemiological surveillance. The general purpose of the first of these lines is to prevent the emergence of new infections. Health discount to prioritize knowledge generation in populations at risk for hepatitis C and to encourage local response projects. For this, actions that encourage the promotion of knowledge and interest will be implemented.

Similar prevention and diagnosis The aim is to ensure that 90% of people infected with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are diagnosed and to achieve an incidence of less than or equal to 5 per 100,000 and less than or equal to 2 per 100 drug users. To do this, differentiated HCV screening strategies will be established for each target population group; Diagnosis will be defined for each screening level, with which tools and which are adapted to improve each line of intervention; and an Andalusian strategy for microelimination of HCV will be established, with particular attention to the community area.

Related treatmentThe plan aims to ensure the accessibility of those diagnosed, facilitate universal access to treatment, simplify referral to specialized consultation, and also simplify treatment for the general population and vulnerable groups with little reliance on private consultation.

The last of the strategic lines, know the truth Incidence of hepatitis C in Andalusia in priority high incidence groups, including actions aimed at strengthening epidemiological surveillance mechanisms to improve detection of HCV cases, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups.

The two transverse lines considered in the plan, training of professionals Already research and innovation. Therefore, a training plan will be developed for professionals involved in the management of patients with this disease so that they acquire the necessary skills to respond effectively to current needs, thereby supporting internal communication and the degree of involvement of professionals. . This point also includes four specific objectives: to define the competencies of professionals involved in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C, according to the professional profile; identify and define the training needs of professionals involved in different processes; develop an education program based on updated evidence of best practices for patient management; and to evaluate the impact of training conducted for the implementation of continuous improvement of the training strategy.

Promoting R&D+I, which focuses on the evaluation of interventions and the search for innovations to address the current problems of hepatitis C in Andalusia, is the aim of the second cross line of the plan. Also included are actions that encourage the development of quantitative and qualitative research projects, the development of collaborative research networks/multidisciplinary working groups, the dissemination and implementation of results.