Medical Department, Hospital Ampang, Ampang, Malaysia.
Virology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Center, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
J Viral Hepat. 2020 Jun;27(6):638-643. doi: 10.1111/jvh.13267. Epub 2020 Feb 12.
Approximately 2.5% of the Malaysian population is currently living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Yet, the public awareness of the disease is limited and under-screening remains a major challenge. With the support of international non-for-profit organizations, the Ministry of Health in Malaysia recently launched a one-week nationwide hepatitis C screening campaign in conjunction with the World Hepatitis Day. For the first time, the rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for HCV screening was introduced in public health institutions. This campaign involved 49 hospitals and 38 health clinics across the country, targeting the adult general population with unknown HCV infection status. Of the 11 382 participants undergoing the RDT, 1.9% were found to be positive for hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) and were referred to on-site medical departments or nearby hospitals for confirmatory testing and treatment. Men, the Malay ethnic group, intranasal and injection drug users and ex-prisoners were shown to have higher odds of being positive for anti-HCV. In addition to serving as a model to educate the general population about the disease, this campaign demonstrates the feasibility of decentralizing HCV screening, particularly by promoting the use of RDT, and linking the HCV-infected patients to care in Malaysia.
马来西亚约有 2.5%的人口目前携带丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV)。然而，公众对该病的认识有限，筛查不足仍是一个主要挑战。在国际非营利组织的支持下，马来西亚卫生部最近在世界肝炎日之际发起了为期一周的全国性丙型肝炎筛查活动。这是首次在公共卫生机构引入丙型肝炎病毒快速诊断检测（RDT）。该活动涉及全国 49 家医院和 38 家诊所，目标人群为丙型肝炎病毒感染状况未知的成年普通人群。在接受 RDT 检测的 11382 名参与者中，有 1.9%的人丙型肝炎抗体（抗-HCV）检测呈阳性，并被转介到现场医疗部门或附近医院进行确认检测和治疗。研究显示，男性、马来族裔、经鼻和注射吸毒者以及前囚犯抗-HCV 检测呈阳性的几率更高。除了作为向公众宣传该疾病的一种模式，此次活动还展示了在马来西亚分散进行 HCV 筛查的可行性，尤其是通过推广 RDT 的使用，并将 HCV 感染患者与医疗服务联系起来。
