Hepatitis C, Lombardy asks to extend screening to those born between 1948 and 1968

There Lombardy will ask the Ministry to broaden the number of people entitled to screening for the virus HCV to the cohort of those born between 1948 and 1968. Today the Regional Council approved the bipartisan motion “which – explains the councilor David Casatimember of Commission III – is the culmination of a work that began last summer with my agenda and then carried forward together with the majority forces in recent months”.

“The contribution of a reality like the hospital Pope John XXIII of Bergamo was fundamental – continues Casati – because thanks to the discussions with Dr. Stefano Fagiuoli we managed to build great awareness within the council groups regarding the importance of screening as secondary prevention”. The non-symptomatic nature of hepatitis C in fact means that many subjects are unaware carriers of the virus and “for this reason – adds Casati – it is essential to bring out positive cases, to initiate patients into treatment and avoid the complications of advanced liver disease , resulting in a reduction in overall healthcare costs and an improvement in patients’ quality of life, as well as helping to interrupt the circulation of the virus itself, preventing new infections.”

The WHO (World Health Organization) has launched an action plan to direct global health policy towards reducing the mortality rate of the infection by 65%, with the ambitious goal of complete eradication by 2030. Lombardy was the first Region to implement the screening model identified by the Ministry of Health and set up by age groups, i.e. people born between 1969 and 1989, users of public services for addictions (SerD), subjects detained in prisons and users of community homes.

“The expansion of the audience for Hepatitis C screening mentioned today – concludes Casati – does not entail further financial burdens for the Region and the State, consisting in a mere redistribution, iso resources, of the funds already allocated by the national Government”. There will be two distinct screening programs, aimed at two different categories of users. The first program aimed at the general population (born between 1948-1989) with a “one time only” call mechanism given the low risk of ongoing infection.

The second, however, is intended for SerD users, prisoners in prisons and users of community homes due to the high risk of infection and reinfection. Pharmacies and general practitioners are involved with the aim of increasing citizen participation in the HCV screening campaign through the direct execution of tests.