An estimated 71 million people are living with hepatitis C virus (HCV), a major cause of cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma. An effective cure for hepatitis C exists in the form of direct-acting antivirals, but with less than 20% of people living with HCV being identified, diagnosis remains a major barrier in the continuum of care, making us still very far from the 2030 WHO HCV elimination targets. In addition, with the cost of antiviral treatment coming down in most countries, the cost of diagnosis could remain a significant obstacle to cure. Hence, understanding which tests work in which settings could optimize available resources. As many countries have limited budgets to put towards hepatitis, it is also critical that clear information is available on the cost and cost-effectiveness of hepatitis C service delivery.
To help countries make the best use of available funding to scale up the diagnosis of people living with hepatitis C, FIND and Harvard, with the support from WHO, developed the Hepatitis C Testing Calculator, an interactive country-specific tool designed to evaluate the health and cost impact of different testing pathways for HCV. The tool uses a mathematical model to simulate country-specific HCV disease progression. Users can input custom testing pathways, and the tool calculates the health impact and cost-effectiveness of each pathway. This allows users to determine which testing strategies could be most impactful and cost-effective in various localized settings.
Discover more: www.hepccalculator.org