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Today is World Hepatitis Day. OUCRU and hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been collaborating on hepatitis C clinical trials since 2018. Our research is centred around predictive factors for selecting persons who could be successfully treated with shorter durations of antiviral therapy. OUCRU’s social science and public engagement teams are currently working with underrepresented groups to create community-led strategies to link care and treatment for populations at risk for viral hepatitis. Our aim is to have a more significant impact on the treatment strategy and access to care for patients with hepatitis C in Vietnam and worldwide in the future.

Stakeholders mapping meeting with members of community-based organizations representing and supporting underserved communities at risk of Hep C in HCMC
Stakeholders meeting with members of community-based organizations representing and supporting underserved communities at risk of Hep C in Ho Chi Minh City

To date, these clinical trials have recruited from populations already engaged in care at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Participants are aware of hepatitis C virus infection and its implications and are well-motivated to seek treatment. Since our clinical trials are investigating the efficacy of treatment strategies that could be used to treat underserved populations, it is crucial to develop innovative ways to engage with these ‘hard-to-reach’ populations, such as people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, commercial sex workers, as well as low-income communities.

OUCRU’s social science and public engagement teams are currently working with these underrepresented groups, using community-based participatory research to engage with communities to create community-led strategies to improve linkages to care and treatment for populations at risk for viral hepatitis.

These studies are currently ongoing, with a positive impact on the participants. We hope to have a more significant impact on the treatment strategy and access to care for patients with hepatitis C in Vietnam and worldwide in the future.

The full story is available on the OUCRU website

Read the publications 'Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B, C and D in Vietnam: A systematic review and meta-analysis' on The Lancet website