Guidance on prevention of viral hepatitis B and C among people who inject drugs

Abstract

This Guidance on prevention of viral hepatitis B and C among people who inject drugs is the first step in the provision of comprehensive guidance on viral hepatitis surveillance, prevention and treatment by the World Health Organization. These recommendations are based on systematic reviews of scientific evidence, community values and preferences and implementation issues. Although the focus of this guidance is on low- and middle-income countries, this guidance applies equally to high-income settings. The WHO, UNODC, UNAIDS technical guide for countries to set targets for universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care for injecting drug users presents a comprehensive package of interventions for HIV prevention, treatment and care for people who inject drugs. This document has helped to achieve global consensus with high-level political bodies, the United Nations, donor agencies and civil society organizations on adopting a public health response that best addresses HIV in countries facing epidemics of injecting drug use. The nine interventions of this package are also relevant to the prevention of viral hepatitis, in particular the first two, needle and syringe programmes and opioid substitution therapy.Abbreviations and Acronyms -- Executive Summary -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Scope and Objectives -- 3. Background -- 3.1 Viral hepatitis B and C and injecting drug use -- 4. Methodology -- 4.1 WHO guideline development process -- 4.2 Viral hepatitis guideline development process -- 5. Guiding Principles -- 5.1 Human rights -- 5.2 Access to health care -- 5.3 Access to justice -- 5.4 Acceptability of services -- 5.5 Health literacy -- 5.6 Integrated service provision -- 6. Recommendations -- 6.1 Hepatitis B Vaccinaton -- 6.2 Type of syringes -- 6.3 Psychosocial and peer interventions -- 7. Existing Recommendations -- 8. Adapting These Guidelines -- 9. Operational and Implementation Issues -- 9.1 Health systems -- 9.2 Prevention services -- 9.3 Community involvement -- 10.Next Steps -- References -- Annexes (all annexes can be found on the internet at http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/guidelines/hepatitis_annex/en/) -- Annex 1: PICO questions -- Annex 2: Outcome frameworks -- Annex 3: GRADE notation and language -- Annex 4: GRADE evidence profiles -- Annex 5: Risk benefit/decision tables Annex 6: Evidence summaries -- Annex 7: Search strategies -- Annex 8: Report of Values and Preferences Survey -- Annex 9: Summary of declarations of interest.At head of title: HIV/AIDS Programme.July 2012.The development of these guidelines received financial support from the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Mode of access: Internet as an Acrobat .pdf file (1.68 MB, 52 p.).Includes bibliographical references (p. 38-46)