Hepatitis C identification and treatment in rural Pennsylvania, USA

The opioid epidemic in the United States has led to increases in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection especially in rural communities. It is recommended that persons who inject drugs undergo screening and treatment. We initiated HCV screening and treatment within a mostly rural area of Pennsylvania by targeting medicated-assisted treatment (MAT) facilities and community events. Screening was conducted in 43 rural and 13 urban counties by a clinical team. At MAT facilities, the clinical team performed HCV screening between 4:30am and 1:00pm using the OraQuick HCV test free of charge. Participants with a positive screen were linked to treatment. In all, 3,051 screening tests were conducted among 2,995 unique participants, who were mostly white (2821, 94%) and from rural counties (2597, 87%). Participants were most frequently 25-to-34 years old (798, 27%). A total of 730 patients were HCV screen positive, 371 patients received an HCV RNA PCR test, and 272 were HCV RNA positive. Of them, 249 met with a healthcare provider, 102 initiated treatment, and 50 completed SVR testing, with 49 achieving SVR. Anti-HCV positivity was more frequent among MAT facility versus non-MAT patients (41% versus 5%) (p < .001). Non-MAT participants were more likely to begin treatment for HCV (91% [21/23] versus 30% [81/272]) and achieve SVR (71% versus 43%). In HCV screening and treatment among high-risk patients, substantial numbers of participants were lost at every point of care between screening and follow-up testing. Specific screening, treatment, and follow-up strategies for persons in rural communities may be needed.