How far are we from viral hepatitis elimination service coverage targets?

INTRODUCTION: In 2016, the Global Health Sector Strategy (GHSS) on viral hepatitis called for elimination of viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030 (i.e. 90% reduction in incidence and 65% in mortality). In 2017, WHO's first-ever Global Hepatitis Report presented the baseline values for each of the core indicators of the strategy. We review the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in order to reach the 2030 service coverage targets. DISCUSSION: Three-dose coverage of hepatitis B vaccine in infancy reached 84% in 2015 (2030 target: 90%); however, only 39% received the timely birth dose (2030 target: 90%). Blood safety (97% of blood units screened with quality assurance, 2030 target: 100%) and injection safety (5% unsafe injections, 2030 target: 0%) had made substantial progress while harm reduction fell short (27 syringe and needle sets distributed per person who injects drugs per year, 2030 target: 300). Worldwide, 9% and 20% of the HBV- and HCV-infected population respectively, were aware of their status (2030 targets: 90%). In the short term, to reach the 2020 target of diagnosing 50% of those infected, 107 million HBV infected persons and 15 million HCV infected persons should be urgently diagnosed. Overall, in 2015, less than 10% of known infected persons were on HBV treatment or had started HCV treatment (2030 targets: 80%). CONCLUSIONS: The prevention component of elimination is on track with respect to hepatitis B vaccination, blood safety, and injection safety. However, coverage of the hepatitis B vaccine timely birth dose requires a substantial increase, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and harm reduction needs to be taken to scale as injecting drug use accounts for a third of mortality from HCV infection. A promising but limited start in hepatitis testing and treatment needs to be followed by immediate and sustained action so that we reach the service coverage targets required to achieve elimination by 2030. Treating persons coinfected with HIV and hepatitis viruses is particularly urgent and needs to be promoted in the context of the HIV response.

Improving Retention in Care Among Pregnant Women and Mothers Living With HIV: Lessons From INSPIRE and Implications for Future WHO Guidance and Monitoring.

Identifying women living with HIV, initiating them on lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART), and retaining them in care are among the important challenges facing this generation of health care managers and public health researchers. Implementation research attempts to solve a wide range of implementation problems by trying to understand and work within real-world conditions to find solutions that have a measureable impact on the outcomes of interest. Implementation research is distinct from clinical research in many ways yet demands similar standards of conceptual thinking and discipline to generate robust evidence that can be, to some extent, generalized to inform policy and service delivery. In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from Global Affairs Canada, began support to 6 implementation research projects in Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. All focused on evaluating approaches for improving rates of retention in care among pregnant women and mothers living with HIV and ensuring their continuation of ART. This reflected the priority given by ministries of health, program implementers, and researchers in each country to the importance of women living with HIV returning to health facilities for routine care, adherence to ART, and improved health outcomes. Five of the studies were cluster randomized controlled trials, and 1 adopted a matched cohort design. Here, we summarize some of the main findings and key lessons learned. We also consider some of the broader implications, remaining knowledge gaps, and how implementation research is integral to, and essential for, global guideline development and to inform HIV/AIDS strategies.

The role of mathematical modelling in the development of recommendations in the 2013 WHO consolidated antiretroviral therapy guidelines.

Despite the exponential growth in the literature on modelling and simulation studies of impact and cost-effectiveness in different aspects of healthcare, there is no clear consensus on the appropriate role of modelling in the development of recommendations in clinical guidelines. This is compounded both by the lack of a standardised approach to assess the quality of modelling, and lack of clarity on its positioning within the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) method for decision-making in the development of WHO guidelines, that considers both evidence from systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials (RTCs) or observational studies, together with stakeholder values and preferences, resource use, and feasibility issues. In the development of the 2013 WHO Consolidated Guidelines on the use of Antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, a series of modelling projects were undertaken to inform the recommendations on eligibility criteria for ART initiation, and approaches to monitoring for treatment response. We report our experiences, challenges encountered, and several key considerations to guide the future use of modelling in the development of WHO guidelines. These are: (1) Transparency in the conduct and reporting of model inputs and results; (2) The need for agreed standards for critical appraisal and use of modelling data in healthcare policy making; (3) recognition that modelling of cost-effectiveness is only one component of decision-making in development of WHO recommendations and in priority-setting; (4) The need for closer interaction and an ongoing dialogue between modellers and model end-users or decision-makers; (5) the important role of WHO in convening and facilitating comparative assessment of multiple models; and (6) The need to optimize research and data collection to inform modelling studies.