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July 16, 2018 – 10:46 am
One of the most serious consequences of the opioid epidemic is the spread of hepatitis C among consumers injecting drug use.
The new study shows that, if a vaccine against hepatitis C is developed successfully, transmission of hepatitis C among drug users would be significantly reduced, even if such a vaccine is unlikely to provide complete immunity.
The study, which used mathematical models, is published in Science Translational Medicine. Four of the authors of the study are members of the Experimental and Theoretical Models Program in the Division of Hepatology of the "Loyola Medicine" and the "Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine" , Illinois, United States.
Loyola, Harel Dahari, is a co-author of the study, with Marian Major, of the US Agency for Medicines (FDA) for her acronym in English. Dr. Dahari is an adjunct professor at the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago
There are currently vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B, but a vaccine against hepatitis C is still under study.
A clinical trial tests an experimental vaccine against hepatitis C among injecting drug users. Unlike many other vaccines, the vaccine against hepatitis C should not provide complete immunity, known as sterilizing immunity. A vaccinated person exposed to HCV may still be infected with the virus, although the amount of virus in the blood would be significantly reduced.
The authors of the study calculated the effectiveness of a vaccine that would provide incomplete immunity to prevent transmission among injecting drug users. The researchers developed a mathematical model to determine the probabilities of transmission among drug users sharing needles and syringes.
They simulated the exchange of two types of common syringes used by drug users. Using previously published data from people infected or reinfected with the hepatitis C virus, scientists have calculated the risk of transmission among injecting drug users.
The study estimated that if an injection drug user shared a second drug user infected with hepatitis C would have more than 90% chance that the first drug user would also be infected with Hepatitis C after six months. However, if a vaccine was used, the risk of transmission would decrease between 1 and 25%, depending on the type of needle used and other factors.
Conclusions
"Our results suggest that a vaccine against hepatitis C would be an essential part of a comprehensive prevention strategy to achieve the goal of the disease. 39 World Health Organization to eradicate hepatitis C by 2030, "said co-author of the study, Scott Cotler, head of Loyola's hepatology department and professor. at the Loyola University Medical Department of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.Other Loyola co-authors are mathematical modellers Alexander (Sasha) Gutfraind and Louis Shekhtman.
Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) .The long-term infection with HCV, known as chronic hepatitis C, is usually silent for many years. disease can eventually cause cirrhosis (advanced scarring) of the liver, a cancer of the f goose and liver failure. In the United States, up to 3 million people are chronically infected with HCV, with more than 30,000 new infections a year [19659004] Hepatitis C is spread through contaminated blood and it is estimated that 60 % HCV infections in the United States are attributed to the exchange of needles, syringes or other drug paraphernalia. Antiviral drugs are used to treat hepatitis C, with cure rates greater than 90 percent. In addition to preventing the progression of the disease, antivirals can also prevent transmission.
Antivirals, however, are expensive and many injecting drug users do not have access to medical care in the United States and, even if they are cured, injecting drug users can re-infect themselves they continue to share their syringes.
Agencies / News 24 / Noticiero Venevisión
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