Transmission rate by half among HIV-positive men MSM
New hepatitis C (HCV) transmissions fell by about 50% in HIV-positive men who have sex with men and chronic HCV infections decreased by over 92% after an HCV treatment as prevention intervention was started in a Switzerland, according to a study presented at CROI.
Results from the HCVRee study, which were presented by Dominique Braun, M.D., demonstrated an effective model for HCV treatment as prevention. The study followed the same cohort (the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, or SHCS) that brought upon the original 2008 Swiss Statement, which declared that an HIV-positive person on effective treatment and who has undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV through sex-what’s known today as undetectable = untransmittable (U=U).
In Switzerland, new HCV infections have increased over 18 times in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) since 2002, the researchers noted.
The HCVRee study consisted of HCV screening, HCV treatment, and HCV re-screening.
The study screened 87% of MSM in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, an ongoing study that follows individuals living with HIV in Switzerland. Participants are screened yearly using an HCV antibody test. The HCVRee study used an HCV RNA test, which detects HCV sooner than an antibody test.