First self-test for hepatitis C clears WHO hurdle

A patient fills out a form while her blood and saliva are screened for Hepatitis C and HIV in the US. Getty Images

The first self-test for hepatitis C has cleared an important regulatory hurdle with WHO, accelerating efforts towards elimination of the potentially deadly viral infection.

Hepatitis C attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic illness that can be life-threatening.

Around 50 million people globally suffer from a chronic hepatitis C infection, with Pakistan, Egypt and Mongolia among the worst affected countries, according to the CDA Foundation.

But only 36 per cent of sufferers had been diagnosed by the end of 2022.

WHO has pre-qualified the OraQuick HCV self-test kit, which it says could expand access to testing and diagnosis, said Dr. Meg Doherty, Director of the Department of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes.

“The addition of this product to the WHO prequalification list provides a safe and effective way to expand HCV testing and treatment services, ensuring more people receive the diagnoses and treatment they need, and ultimately contributing to the global goal of HCV elimination.”

The UAE, where the prevalence of hepatitis C is less than 2 per cent, is on track to eradicate the subtype by 2030.

And anyone testing positive for hepatitis B – HBsAg – is denied a work permit in the UAE, or deported if already a resident.

Globally, 3,500 people die every day due to the bloodborne virus overall.

Dr Rogério Gaspar, WHO Director for the Department of Regulation and Prequalification, said “the availability of a WHO pre-qualified HCV self-test enables low and middle-income countries have access to safe and affordable self-testing options which is essential to achieving the goal of 90 per cent of all people with HCV to be diagnosed”.

WHO said that it will continue to assess additional HCV self-tests, among other measures, that include working with communities to expand available options to all countries.

There are five hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E.

B kills the most people overall, claiming 83 per cent of lives. Hepatitis C, which can be treated with antiviral medication, is responsible for the rest of the deaths. If left untreated, Hepatitis C can cause liver failure, cirrhosis and liver cancer.

People are infected with B and C through exposure, either during invasive medical or dental procedures using contaminated equipment, or more commonly after being in contact with a carrier of the virus through sexual contact or by sharing drug syringes.

Both types of the virus cause liver inflammation, with symptoms usually appearing any time from two weeks to six months after contact.

They include joint pain and fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, nausea and vomiting, dark urine and jaundice.

While there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, hepatitis A and B are preventable by vaccine.

The less severe hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease and is often picked up from dirty water or contaminated food.

Almost two thirds of the global burden of hepatitis B and C is focused in a band of 10 key nations – Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia and Vietnam.