Hepatitis C among drug users in Europe: epidemiology, treatment and prevention.

Hepatitis C among drug users in Europe: epidemiology, treatment and prevention provides a timely contribution to raising awareness of the hepatitis C epidemic in Europe and the opportunities now opening up to tackle this problem decisively. A state of the art review of the epidemiology of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Europe and an overview of the way preventive measures are currently implemented in European countries set the scene. International experts address the treatment of HCV infection among people who inject drugs, with an emphasis on how we encourage uptake and deliver effective outcomes. Implementation issues are also explored, as are the complementary roles of treatment and prevention. The new medicines and treatment regimens driving the transformation in the HCV treatment landscape are reviewed in detail. The challenges of scaling up HCV treatment and successfully involving drug using patients is explored from different viewpoints, including that of the drug user. Table of contents • Foreword • Executive summary • Acknowledgements • Introduction • Chapter 1: Hepatitis C virus infection among people who inject drugs • Chapter 2: Treatment of hepatitis C virus infection among people who inject drugs • Chapter 3: Strategies to improve hepatitis C care and to enhance treatment uptake and adherence • Chapter 4: Hepatitis C prevention among people who inject drugs • Chapter 5: Antiviral medications for hepatitis C virus infection • Chapter 6: Scaling up hepatitis C treatment • Chapter 7: A framework for evaluating scale up of hepatitis C virus treatment as prevention for people who inject drugs • Conclusion