NYC Health Dept Hep B & C Annual Report of Activities (2015)
On October 4, 2016, the New York City Health Department released its “Hepatitis B and C: Annual Report of Activities, 2015.”
Executive Summary
Viral hepatitis B and C are blood-borne pathogens that are prevalent in New York City (NYC). Both can lead to severe liver disease, cancer and premature death. An estimated 1.2 percent of all New York City residents (about 100,000 people) have hepatitis B, and 2.4 percent of New York City residents aged 20 and older (about 146,500 people) have hepatitis C.
This report presents an overview of the New York City Health Department’s 2015 surveillance and research data on hepatitis B and C in NYC, as well as the Health Department’s programmatic activities to address these epidemics.
NEW IN 2015
- Ten-year trends in chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C surveillance
- Liver cancer incidence with hepatitis B and C by ZIP code
- Check Hep B Patient Navigation Program and NYC Hep C Peer Navigation Program
- Text message-based linkage to care of patients reported to the Health Department’s surveillance registry
- Clinical capacity building of hospitals and community health centers
Surveillance Data
- In 2015, 7,719 people were newly reported with chronic hepatitis B, an increase (3.5 percent) from 2014.
- In 2015, 7,328 people were newly reported with chronic hepatitis C, a decrease (4.7 percent) from 2014.
- From 2005 to 2015, the rate of newly reported hepatitis C cases declined in NYC overall.
- From 1999 to 2014, hepatitis C-related deaths increased 38 percent.
Research and Evaluation
Research and evaluation conducted in 2015 revealed that:
- Incidence and mortality of liver cancer remain high among NYC residents
- The number of Medicaid recipients treated for hepatitis C has been increasing since 2011. Harvoni (sofosbuvir/ledipasvir) accounted for three-quarters of hepatitis C prescribed treatment in 2015, a change from 2014 when Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) was the most commonly prescribed treatment.
Direct Services, Capacity Building, Education and Policy
In 2015, the Health Department:
- Administered more than 15,000 hepatitis B vaccine doses
- Managed three patient navigation programs reaching more than 2,000 hepatitis B and C patients
- Managed a comprehensive hepatitis C care coordination program enrolling 1,370 patients
- Administered more than 12,000 hepatitis C screening tests to people who are incarcerated
- Trained 800 service providers on hepatitis B– and hepatitis C–related topics
- Hosted 15 Hep Free NYC network meetings on best practices in prevention and care
- Supported six federally qualified health centers to increase hepatitis C screening and confirmatory testing
- Formed a hepatitis C clinical learning collaborative and recruited 55 representatives from 31 hospitals
- Developed a Viral Hepatitis Program legislative agenda and organized a Viral Hepatitis Legislative Awareness Breakfast
- Supported increased access to hepatitis C treatment and syringe exchange services and ensured that New Yorkers can fill prescriptions at the pharmacy of their choice
- Collaborated on the New York State End of Hepatitis C initiative
In the news:
POLITICO New York Health Care Pro: Hepatitis B is Up
Last Updated on February 15, 2018 by HepFree NYC
){kind=link}