Alliance for Public Health and CoAct are pleased to be technical partners for the Unitaid-funded Hepatitis C project for the period 2023-2026. This project is part of a consortium led by Frontline AIDS and aims to implement innovative research on community-based hepatitis C treatment models and care and support services in Nigeria.
The UNITAID project, which will be implemented in Gombe State with the participation of the NGO DAPHO, aims to improve the health status and ensure access to quality health services for people who inject drugs. According to the plan, in July 2024, 625 people will receive low-dead-volume syringes for 18 months, and from January 2025, 2800 people will be tested for hepatitis C virus. HCV treatment services with direct-acting antiviral drugs are planned for 250 people, with the goal of completing treatment by October 2025.
The project seems to be very timely, as there is a general concern about the development of the HIV epidemic among PWID in Nigeria, the prevalence of HIV infection among which has increased from 3.4% to 11% over the past 6 years. This is due to the practice of needle sharing (only 36% of respondents reported always or almost always using a clean needle during injections in the past month), as well as low coverage of PWID with key interventions recommended by the World Health Organization, such as substitution maintenance therapy.
