Feasibility and Effectiveness of HCV Viraemia Testing at Harm Reduction Sites in Georgia

In 2015, Georgia began a hepatitis C virus elimination program. The Georgian National Hepatitis Program has made strong progress in bringing hepatitis C screening to low levels of the health system, however, there is a drop off, especially among people who inject drugs, when people need to get the test to confirm if they are viraemic.

A study, published in Liver International, looked at different ways to improve the retention of people who screened hepatitis C-positive receiving a test to confirm if they have viremia and thus need treatment for hepatitis C. The study found that both providing onsite RNA testing and onsite blood draw for sample referral for testing for viremia resulted in more people getting the viremia test than the standard of care method of referring people to another clinic after hepatitis C screening.

Full study results can be accessed here.