CHS Publishes on Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Armenia
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YEREVAN, Armenia — The Turpanjian College of Health Sciences (CHS) at the American University of Armenia has recently published an article entitled “Seroprevalence of Hepatitis C Virus and Factors Associated with It in Armenia, 2021.” The article was published in Viruses, a highly cited, peer-reviewed, open access journal of virology, published online by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) and affiliated with societies of virology in many countries. The journal publishes papers that are of significant impact to the virology community.
The lead author of the paper is Anahit Demirchyan, M.D. (MPH ’99), senior researcher at the Avedisian Onanian Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR). The study is the result of the collaborative efforts of CHS with the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the National Center for Infectious Diseases, and the World Health Organization (headquarters and country office in Armenia).
The paper discusses the findings of a study that tested the markers of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among a representative sample of 3,831 adults living in Armenia, the first nationwide seroprevalence study of this kind. According to the findings, the prevalence of people who were exposed to HCV ever in life constituted 2.0% (99% CI 1.4, 2.5), and only 0.7% (99% CI 0.4, 1.0) of the population had chronic hepatitis C virus infection. All those who were identified to have the chronic infection through this project were offered counseling and treatment completely free of charge to the patient.
Among the identified factors associated with being exposed to or infected by the virus were the following lifestyle and behavioral factors: undergoing blood transfusion, having tattoos, ever having been a smoker, and unemployment. Conditions coexisting with or being caused by hepatitis C infection included testing positive for hepatitis B virus core antibody and reporting chronic liver disease. About 80% of those infected with HCV were not aware of their infection, thus being deprived of the timely treatment with direct-acting antivirals that is provided free-of-charge in Armenia and is highly effective in curing the infection and preventing its life-threatening complications. The identified risk factors demonstrate that there is room for primary prevention of the infection in the country by further strengthening infection control measures during blood-related procedures.
The AUA Turpanjian College of Health Sciences works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of health professionals to be leaders in public health, nursing, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.