In 2021, 14 560 cases of hepatitis C were reported in 29 EU/EEA Member States. Excluding countries that only reported acute cases the number of cases (14 550 cases) corresponds to a crude rate of 4.1 cases per 100 000 population.
Viral hepatitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by different viruses, including hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Both HBV and HCV can cause acute and chronic infections and are leading causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
The purpose of this review was to identify and synthesise the existing evidence on effectiveness of interventions targeting people who inject drugs at two stages of the care cascade: linkage to care and adherence to treatment of HIV, hepatitis B/C and TB.
This report documents the process and outcome of the assessment and translation of the evidence into guidance recommendations on linkage to care and/or adherence to treatment for HCV, HIV and TB for the ECDC technical report, ‘A systematic literature review of interventions to increase linkage to care and adherence to treatment for hepatitis B and C, HIV and tuberculosis among people who inject drugs’.