Historique
Rapport
Eradicating Hepatitis C in Europe: A frontline assessment of harm reduction and implementation gaps. Civil society monitoring report 2025
Auteur(s) :
MEJIA, C. ;
RIGONI, R. ;
MATTOS, M. ;
C-EHRN Focal Points
Année
2026
Page(s) :
30 p.
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites
Discipline :
MAL (Maladies infectieuses / Infectious diseases)
Thésaurus géographique
EUROPE
Thésaurus mots-clés
HEPATITE
;
REDUCTION DES RISQUES ET DES DOMMAGES
;
ERADICATION
;
ACCES AUX SOINS
;
DEPISTAGE
;
DISCRIMINATION
;
STIGMATISATION
;
POLITIQUE
;
TEST
;
DISPOSITIF DE SOIN
;
PRISE EN CHARGE
Résumé :
This report is based on data collected in 2025 from C-EHRN Focal Points: civil society organizations delivering harm reduction services in 42 European cities.
Highlights:
* The cure exists. The barriers are political
Hepatitis C is curable. Direct-acting antiviral medicines achieve cure rates above 95%. Nearly every death from Hepatitis C in Europe today is preventable, and yet people who inject drugs continue to be denied testing, treatment, and follow-up care, not because of a lack of medicine, but because of discrimination, broken healthcare pathways, and chronic underfunding.
* The WHO 2030 target is at risk
The World Health Organization targets for hepatitis C elimination aim to end HCV as a public health threat by reducing new infections by 90% and deaths by 65%, while ensuring that 90% of people are diagnosed and 80% of those eligible receive treatment.
Achieving these targets requires a combination of key strategies, including the widespread use of highly effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), targeted screening of high-risk populations such as people who inject drugs, the expansion of harm reduction services (e.g. needle and syringe programs and opioid agonist therapy), and progress towards universal access to treatment.
With just 5 years remaining, frontline civil society data shows that European cities still face critical gaps in testing access, treatment equity, post-cure follow-up, and most concerningly, in tackling the discrimination that prevents people who use drugs from using services even when they exist.
Key figures:
93% of cities (39 of 42) have HCV testing available, but access is deeply unequal.
36% of cities (15 of 42) impose financial barriers that exclude migrants and refugees; another 12 cities exclude the uninsured.
62% of cities (26 of 42) report that their harm reduction organizations face serious limitations in delivering HCV care; underfunding is the single most common cause, cited in 21 cities.
50% of cities (21 of 42) have systematic re-testing for people cured of HCV who remain at risk. [Editor's abstract]
Highlights:
* The cure exists. The barriers are political
Hepatitis C is curable. Direct-acting antiviral medicines achieve cure rates above 95%. Nearly every death from Hepatitis C in Europe today is preventable, and yet people who inject drugs continue to be denied testing, treatment, and follow-up care, not because of a lack of medicine, but because of discrimination, broken healthcare pathways, and chronic underfunding.
* The WHO 2030 target is at risk
The World Health Organization targets for hepatitis C elimination aim to end HCV as a public health threat by reducing new infections by 90% and deaths by 65%, while ensuring that 90% of people are diagnosed and 80% of those eligible receive treatment.
Achieving these targets requires a combination of key strategies, including the widespread use of highly effective direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), targeted screening of high-risk populations such as people who inject drugs, the expansion of harm reduction services (e.g. needle and syringe programs and opioid agonist therapy), and progress towards universal access to treatment.
With just 5 years remaining, frontline civil society data shows that European cities still face critical gaps in testing access, treatment equity, post-cure follow-up, and most concerningly, in tackling the discrimination that prevents people who use drugs from using services even when they exist.
Key figures:
93% of cities (39 of 42) have HCV testing available, but access is deeply unequal.
36% of cities (15 of 42) impose financial barriers that exclude migrants and refugees; another 12 cities exclude the uninsured.
62% of cities (26 of 42) report that their harm reduction organizations face serious limitations in delivering HCV care; underfunding is the single most common cause, cited in 21 cities.
50% of cities (21 of 42) have systematic re-testing for people cured of HCV who remain at risk. [Editor's abstract]
Autre(s) lien(s) :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20268859