The hepatitis C virus (HCV) epidemic was forecasted through 2030 for 15
countries, and the relative impact of two scenarios was considered: (i)
increased treatment efficacy while holding the treated population
constant and (ii) increased treatment efficacy and increased annual
treated population. Increasing levels of diagnosis and treatment, in
combination with improved treatment efficacy, were critical for
achieving substantial reductions in disease burden. In most countries,
the annual treated population had to increase several fold to achieve
the largest reductions in HCV-related morbidity and mortality. This
suggests that increased capacity for screening and treatment will be
critical in many countries. Birth cohort screening is a helpful tool for
maximizing resources. In most of the studied countries, the majority of
patients were born between 1945 and 1985