Washington, D.C., Nov. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — New report highlights public health departments’ lack of resources to implement viral hepatitis surveillance systems
~ Leading viral hepatitis organizations HepVu and NASTAD release the second annual assessment of viral surveillance practices across U.S. jurisdictions ~
~Only 3% of jurisdictions say they can make progress toward elimination goals with current CDC hepatitis surveillance funding levels~
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, leading viral hepatitis organizations HepVu and NASTAD released a new report showing that U.S. jurisdictions still lack the funding and resources needed to effectively implement viral hepatitis surveillance programs. HepVu and NASTAD conducted their second annual survey of jurisdictions and found Jurisdictions with viral hepatitis elimination plans increased from 43% in 2021 to 70% in 2022, while 20% of jurisdictions do not have dedicated staff to conduct routine surveillance activities and 35% are unable to compile an annual plan that includes a basic description Surveillance summary disease burden of viral hepatitis. A robust surveillance system allows the United States to monitor disease burden and disparities and implement an effective public health response to eliminate viral hepatitis in the United States. The report also provides a series of recommendations for improving viral hepatitis surveillance in the United States.
An estimated 2.4 million people in the United States are infected with hepatitis C, and as many as 2.2 million people in the United States may be infected with hepatitis B. Robust viral hepatitis surveillance systems are critical to guide strategies to prevent and treat infection and to reduce viral infections. Hepatitis-related disparities and health inequalities. This year, the Biden administration’s budget proposal to Congress includes a $5 billion plan to eliminate hepatitis C nationwide by 2030. Even though hepatitis C is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases, the program remains unfunded.
“The White House has made an unprecedented effort to fund a plan to eliminate hepatitis C nationwide, and key to that plan is the ability to provide basic measurements of the burden of infection at state and local levels that are currently unavailable through routine surveillance.” ” said Dr. Heather Bradley, associate professor of epidemiology and director of the HepVu program at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. “Our data shows that while many jurisdictions are doing commendable work with limited resources and developing elimination plans, most do not have the capacity to implement their plans. With additional funding, jurisdictions Collection of necessary surveillance data can begin to fully understand the burden of viral hepatitis infection, understand systemic inequalities in access to care, and work toward national and local elimination goals.”
In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided funding for hepatitis C surveillance in 59 jurisdictions. Before 2021, only 14 states received federal funding specifically for viral hepatitis surveillance. HepVu and NASTAD collaborated in 2022 to create the first status report on viral hepatitis surveillance. This year’s assessment builds on and expands on the first report to include year-by-year trends, a deeper look at specialized staffing and funding capacity, and health care availability equity data, based on responses from 54 jurisdictions. The primary purpose of the report is to assess how jurisdictions across the United States measure the impact of viral hepatitis on their communities and highlight areas where additional resources are needed.
“Last year’s first report allowed us to establish a baseline of viral hepatitis practices nationwide before the CDC increased funding. “Local leaders and policymakers now have reliable and standardized data to understand across the country. public health efforts, resources and viral hepatitis response,” said Boatemaa Ntiri-Reid, J.D., M.P.H., Senior Director of Epidemic Treatment at NASTAD. “If you look at the program growth trends from year one to year two, these reports show us that if we provide jurisdictions with the necessary funding and resources, a robust monitoring system can be put in place.”
Key findings from monitoring status report:
Elimination plan:
· Seventy percent (70%) of jurisdictions have viral hepatitis elimination plans in place, up from 43% in 2021.
· Half (54%) of jurisdictions are implementing elimination programs, and only 35% have public elimination plans.
· By 2022, only 30% of jurisdictions will have the ability to make progress towards elimination targets, and 33% will have the ability to measure progress towards these targets.
· Only 3% said they could make progress toward elimination goals with the current level of CDC funding for hepatitis surveillance.
Staffing:
· By 2022, one in five jurisdictions (20%) will have no dedicated full-time staff (FTE) dedicated to viral hepatitis.
o Reports show that jurisdictions with one FTE are more likely to have elimination plans in place, prepare annual summaries and have sufficient data to assess and address health disparities.
· Jurisdictions reported significant challenges in hiring and retaining surveillance staff. Movement of people is a significant obstacle to conducting basic viral hepatitis surveillance activities in 2022.
Health disparities:
· 61% of jurisdictions have sufficient data to assess and address viral hepatitis disparities by risk factor (e.g., injecting drug users).
· 54% of jurisdictions have sufficient data to assess and address viral hepatitis disparities by race/ethnicity.
· 54% of jurisdictions have sufficient data to assess and address viral hepatitis disparities across cities.
· 33% of jurisdictions have sufficient data to assess and address disparities in viral hepatitis by sexual orientation and gender identity.
· 28% of jurisdictions had sufficient data to assess and address disparities in viral hepatitis by place of birth.
Pregnant:
· Approximately 40% of infants born to pregnant women with hepatitis B will develop chronic hepatitis B, but only 71% of jurisdictions consider the pregnancy condition to be a reportable condition for hepatitis B.
· As of April 2020, the CDC recommends that prenatal care providers screen all pregnant women for hepatitis C. However, only 46% of jurisdictions consider pregnancy a reportable condition for hepatitis C.
Syndrome:
· Only 60% of jurisdictions match viral hepatitis case reports with HIV surveillance data.
· Only 37% of jurisdictions match viral hepatitis case reports with STD surveillance data.
Data release:
· More than a third (35%) of jurisdictions do not have the resources to prepare annual monitoring summaries for 2022.
· 69% of jurisdictions have annual estimates of the number of hepatitis B cases in 2022, but only 15% have estimates of hepatitis B prevalence.
· 83% of jurisdictions have annual estimates of the number of hepatitis C cases in 2022, but only 20% have estimates of hepatitis C prevalence.
For more information on how these numbers will change from 2021 to 2022, click here.
suggestion:
Expanded, standardized, and reliable viral hepatitis surveillance are necessary to promote effective public health efforts, identify resource needs, and support the response to this epidemic across the United States. While public health professionals are conducting laudable surveillance efforts using existing resources, this report shows that additional funding and resources are needed. Based on the status of viral hepatitis surveillance in the United States, it is recommended that:
1. Invest in infrastructure Required for viral hepatitis surveillance, including data systems and staff trained in data science.
2. Increase federal and state funding For viral hepatitis monitoring.
3. Target monitoring resources Monitor populations at highest risk for viral hepatitis, such as people who inject drugs.
4. Prioritize resource allocation Health disparities data collection and analysis.Although current data are insufficient to establish an equitable viral hepatitis surveillance program National Strategic Plan for Viral Hepatitis: Roadmap for Elimination 2021-2025 The core goal is to reduce viral hepatitis-related disparities and health inequalities.
About the survey
HepVu and NASTAD collaborated in 2022 to create the first status report on viral hepatitis surveillance. This year’s update builds on and expands on the first report to include year-over-year trends, a deeper look at capacity through dedicated staffing and funding, availability data on health equity, and more.
HepVu is an interactive online mapping tool that visualizes the impact of the viral hepatitis epidemic in communities across the United States to facilitate data-driven public health decision-making. NASTAD is the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit association representing public health officials responsible for managing HIV and viral hepatitis programs in the United States to end HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and the intersecting epidemics. We worked with a steering committee comprised of state and local health department representatives, national policy/advocacy organizations, and researchers to develop a set of metrics for measuring measurements, identifying processes, conducting surveys, and disseminating results.
In March 2023, a survey requesting information on hepatitis B and hepatitis C surveillance practices for 2022 was sent to 59 U.S. state, local, and territorial jurisdictions, and 92% of jurisdictions responded. The data was processed by Emory University and compared to other metrics such as previous viral hepatitis funding, dedicated staffing and other factors. Going forward, HepVu and NASTAD will continue to collect data on these indicators from jurisdictions on an annual basis, analyze the results, and prepare a status report describing the findings nationally and by jurisdiction.
For the full report and additional insights, download the report here and share our infographic or read our expert Q&A on viral hepatitis surveillance.
About HepVu
HepVu.org is launched by Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in partnership with Gilead Sciences and Emory University’s Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). HepVu’s mission is to provide widely available, easily accessible, and locally relevant data to inform public health decisions and actions. The platform visualizes data, provides insights, and facilitates research on the viral hepatitis epidemic in the U.S. Each year, HepVu works to increase the granularity of its public data and remains committed to providing public health officials, policymakers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and community leaders gain a more comprehensive understanding of the viral hepatitis epidemic at the local, state, and national levels.
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CONTACT: Madeleine Russak HepVu 202-234-1224 mrussak@signaldc.com
