Italian HCV eradication screening protocol and genotypes characterization (2022–2023) in Ferrara’s province: a real-world study

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a worldwide health hazard, and in chronic form (nowadays affecting 58 million people as World Health Organization estimation) can be lethal. To forestall it, preventive screening is a mandatory approach. Since 2021, Italy conducts a national-wide screening program to eradicate the virus from its population. The team perfected an innovative method throughout the period between 2022 and 2023, to answer that medical necessity and map HCV genotypes spreading. The medical protocol introduced dedicated double invitations and pre-prepared medical consumables. The population was divided in three separate groups: born between 1969 to 1989, addiction services, and prison. Two screening levels were carried out: anti-HCV antibodies (indirect chemiluminescence immunoassay) and quantitative HCV RNA reverse transcription. 51,283 adherents were registered: 447 resulted positive to the first screening round, and 88 to the second (393 and 77 patients respectively from population born between 1969–1989). The medical protocol introduced allowed to substantially increase patients and medical staff compliance to HCV screening (adherence: 51.83%, the highest in Italy). HCV genotypes’ prevalence was mapped as well, distinguishing by patients’ age, biological sex and origin the different strains distribution in the population, over five groups comprehending subtypes 1a, 1b, 2a/2c, 3a, 4a/4c/4d.