Foreword from the Supplement Editors
New curative treatments for hepatitis C, known as direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), have revolutionised the management of people living with hepatitis C. DAA therapy is highly effective, with more than 95% of patients being cured of their infection. DAAs are also tolerable and easy to take: just one to three tablets daily for eight or 12 weeks.
The advent of DAA therapy means it is possible to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat. Australia is aiming for the elimination of hepatitis C by 2030, in line with global targets, led by the WHO and Australia’s National Hepatitis C Strategy 2018 to 2022.
GPs have a major role to play if Australia is to reach the 2030 elimination target, as the vast majority of Australians with hepatitis C will be managed in primary care. This supplement brings together a series of five articles, first published in Medicine Today, that guide GPs through hepatitis C testing, treatment, cure and follow up in primary care. A list of useful online resources for GPs managing patients with hepatitis C is also included.
The first article in the series – Finding your patients with hepatitis C – focuses on who and how to test for hepatitis C. The second article provides practical advice on assessing a patient diagnosed with hepatitis C before treatment. The third article gives GPs a practical guide to treatment with DAAs. The follow up of patients after hepatitis C treatment and cure, particularly those with significant liver disease, is the focus of the fourth article. The final article summarises practical steps GPs can follow in their practices to help eliminate hepatitis C from their local community.
We hope that this supplement will encourage GPs around Australia to participate in the miracle of hepatitis C cure and contribute to the elimination of this disease by 2030.
Dr David Baker
General Practitioner, East Sydney Doctors
Senior Lecturer, University of Notre Dame Australia, Sydney, NSW
Medical Advisor to the Australian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine
Professor Margaret Hellard
Deputy Director, Burnet Institute
Head of Hepatitis Services, Alfred Hospital
Adjunct Professor, Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Monash University
Adjunct Professor, Doherty Institute and Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic
Dr Joseph Doyle
Deputy Program Director of Disease Elimination, Burnet Institute
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University
Infectious Diseases Physician, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Vic
Dr Alisa Pedrana
Senior Research Fellow, Burnet Institute
Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine
Monash University, Melbourne, Vic