Hepatitis C could be eradicated in Mexico

As part of the World Day Against Hepatitis, commemorated on July 28, various civil society organizations gathered, which urged the new government to implement a long-term plan to ensure the safety of children. Elimination of the disease throughout the national health system.

Mexican Foundation for Liver Health, AC (FundHepa); the Mexican Association of Hepatology (AMH); Hepatos Aión, A.C., the United for a Better Life group, A.C., the group of liver friends (Amhigo), and the group Living with HIV from the IMSS (DVVIMSS), have made such an appeal.

"Mexico has the capacity, the infrastructure, and the tools to eradicate hepatitis C, as has been the case for polio or smallpox, but long-term plans for the realization of diagnostic tests are needed, simplifying the model of patient care, expanding referral centers and rapid access to treatment in health systems, "said Lucía Brown, project director of The Mexican Foundation for Liver Health.

According to Dr. Graciela Castro, President of the Mexican Association of Hepatology (AMH), in the country, it is estimated that between 400,000 and 600 000 Mexicans are infected with the hepatitis C virus, a disease that – if not diagnosed and treated early – can cause serious conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer with a lethal outcome, in the worst of [19] 659002] The specialist has said that "Mexico has innovative treatments that cure the disease for 8 to 12 weeks, so it is necessary to increase the detection efforts and access to treatment of hepatitis C in our country , to reduce by 90% the number of new cases of hepatitis by 2030, in line with the elimination goal established by the World Health Organization. "

In addition, he added that hepatitis C could be the first chronic viral infectious disease to be eliminated, which would set a precedent for other ailments.

" We are talking about the first chronic viral infectious disease that can be eliminated, by having direct-acting antiviral drugs that are currently available in the IMSS, ISSSTE and Seguro Popular. "If Mexico was able to eradicate smallpox and polio through vaccines, there is no doubt that we can with this challenge, "said the president of the Mexican Association of Hepatology.

Being a silent disease that does not have of easily identifiable symptoms, a rapid diagnosis is crucial for the progress to be made.

Jorge Luis Poo, Medical Director of Amhigos Group of Liver AC, called on the population to be screened, especially if she had received a blood transfusion before or during the 90s, but also if she or were intravenous drug addicts or had a tattoo or piercing, and even if they had unprotected sex.

Regarding the reality of Mexicans living with hepatitis C, José Antonio Oñate, director of the Hepatos Aión Foundation, AC, added that unfortunately patients are diagnosed by chance and not by campaigns of detection carried out by social security.

"They are usually diagnosed when they are going to donate blood, when routine studies are done, or when they arrive at the hospital because of complications of advanced cirrhosis, so it is necessary to # 39; perform actions that facilitate diagnosis and early detection., Oñate said.

Another problem faced by patients, said Miriam Castellot, United's executive chairman for a better life, AC, is the only one in the world. access to treatment, "most of the time, health facilities They tell patients that there is no treatment and that they can not do anything, that's why it is very important to follow all the patients previously treated with the previous method and who have not obtained favorable results, especially since there are today drugs "In his speech, Luis Adrián Quiroz, founder and general coordinator of the 39; organization. " IMSS living with HIV (DVVIMSS), said: "We can start with a plan for the elimination of hepatitis C on a very targeted scale, perhaps in some states of the Republic and in the high-risk populations such as individuals. their freedom, people who need hemodialysis, men who have sex with men, trans men and women, injecting drug users, etc., including those who have not no social security, then replicate the model across the country. It is important that government, civil society, academia and private initiative participate together. "

He points out that" we can not deny that the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) has had great success in taking over In terms of ensuring the healing of hepatitis C, however, it is necessary to ensure access and availability of treatments, especially in the Seguro Popular, by radically modifying the processes to accredit, without bureaucracy, the hospitals and modify the attributions of Seguro Popular to make the centralized purchase of drugs and distribute them more quickly. "

At the end of his participation, Quiroz called Andrés Manuel López Obrador, elected president, to lead the realization of the" Specific Program of Action "for the cure of hepatitis C in Mexico ", whose main objective is to ensure healing for the benefit of citizens suffering from infection.

Finally, civil society organizations, at the voice of FundHepa's director, Lucia Brown, shared that they are joining forces through the #CurarC campaign, which aims to lay the groundwork for the development of plans to promote the eradication of the virus that includes patients without social security and improving the model of care for those who do, as part of an initiative of the movement "Let's talk about Hepatitis C "that emerged in 2015 with the aim of seeking to raise awareness about the relevance of the C virus, the risk factors, and the rapid detection of the disease, which movement also supported the spread of the disease. information related to the cure of hepatitis C in Mexico.