The feasibility and acceptability of integrating hepatitis C and HIV diagnostic testing on centralized molecular laboratory platforms in Myanmar.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In Myanmar, 1.3 million people have been exposed to hepatitis C (HCV). However, public sector access to viral load (VL) testing for HCV diagnosis remains limited; ten near-point-of-care (POC) devices are available nationally. Myanmar's National Health Laboratory (NHL) has surplus capacity on centralized molecular testing platforms used for HIV diagnostics, presenting an opportunity for integrating HCV testing to expand overall testing capacity. This pilot assessed the operational feasibility and acceptability of HCV/HIV integrated testing implemented with a comprehensive package of supportive interventions.

Methods

HCV VL samples were collected prospectively from consenting participants at five treatment clinics and tested at Myanmar's NHL (October 2019-February 2

SUBMITTER: Naing TS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10191262 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature