Where does treatment fit into the strategy to control hepatitis C?

The prevalence of hepatitis C varies greatly between countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The incidence of new cases is also markedly different between countries, particularly related to the prevalence of injecting drug use. Overall, the currently available treatments for hepatitis C are unlikely to have a major impact in the control of the infection from a population perspective while success rates are relatively low (20-45% sustained antiviral response) and treatment costs are high. There are some specific situations, such as reducing the incidence of mother-to-baby transmission or sexual transmission, where antiviral treatment can be used as a strategy to prevent further infection. The major aims of prevention of hepatitis C infection should lie with public health measures to prevent new infections, particularly amongst injecting drug users, and ultimately the development of an effective vaccine..