Dear Colleague Letter | Hep B & C Screening & Treatment Guidance 2020 (NYC Health Dept)

Dear Colleague:

July 28th is World Hepatitis Day and is an opportunity to remind providers of the impact you can have on the lives of your patients by providing prevention and treatment for hepatitis B and C. An estimated 230,000 New Yorkers are living with chronic hepatitis B, and 116,000 are living with chronic hepatitis C; many remain undiagnosed and at risk for cirrhosis and liver cancer.

In March 2020, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended one-time screening for hepatitis C in people aged 18-79. This important expansion in screening will increase the number of people who are aware of their status and get treated and cured.

Simplified treatment guidance has been developed for hepatitis B and C, enabling most people to be treated in a primary care setting. All people can be treated, regardless of their alcohol and drug use.

To improve the health outcomes of New Yorkers at risk for hepatitis B or C, providers should:

• Test all persons at risk for hepatitis B at intake into care, including people who were born in countries with a high prevalence of hepatitis B, family members, and close contacts of people living with hepatitis B, and people who use drugs. Vaccinate people who are not immune.
• Test all people aged 18-79 for hepatitis C at intake into care, including people who are pregnant. Re-test people with ongoing risk factors (i.e. current drug use) at least annually.
• Treat people with chronic hepatitis B with antivirals according to professional guidelines. See the simplified treatment guidance here.
• Cure all people with chronic hepatitis C with direct acting antiviral therapy, including people who use drugs, and alcohol. See simplified treatment guidance here.


Sincerely,

Demetre Daskalakis, MD, MPH


Deputy Commissioner, Division of Disease Control

Resources

• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Hepatitis B, and C Practice Guidelines. www.aasld.org/publications/practice-guidelines
• Simplified Hepatitis Treatment for Treatment-Naive Patients Without Cirrhosis. www.hcvguidelines.org/treatment-naive/simplified-treatment
• Hepatitis B Management: Guidance for the Primary Care Provider. www.hepatitisb.uw.edu/page/primary-care-workgroup/guidance
• Clinical Training
  • Clinical Education Initiative. www.CEITraining.org
  • Empire Liver Foundation. www.empireliverfoundation.org 

  • Clinical Care Options. www.clinicaloptions.com/hepatitis
  • HepCure. www.hepcure.org
• The United States Preventative Services Task Force Screening Recommendations.
  • Hepatitis C virus Infection in Adolescents and Adults: Screening. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/hepatitis-c-screening
  • Hepatitis B Virus Infection: Screening. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/hepatitis-b-virus-infection-screening
• Centers for Disease Control. www.cdc.gov/hepatitis
• NY Health Department. www.nyc.gov/health/hepatitis
• Hepatitis B and C testing, vaccination, and treatment site locator: www.nyc.gov/health/sitelocator. 

• Hepatitis B and C screening and treatment implementation support, email hep@health.nyc.gov.
• HepFreeNYC: A network building capacity to prevent, manage and treat hepatitis B and in NYC by fostering collaboration and sharing information, resources, and opportunities. www.hepfree.nyc

Click here to download July 2020 Dear Colleague Letter

Last Updated on July 24, 2023 by HepFree NYC