Confirmation of anti-HCV screening positive samples identified within the hepatitis C elimination program using CMIA and PCR methods.

According to the World Health Organization, about 130-180 million people worldwide are infected with chronic hepatitis C, and more than 500,000 people die of hepatitis C-related liver diseases every year. Most infected people are unaware of their own disease, and therefore the infection is often referred to as a "silent killer". C Hepatitis virus (HCV) infection is endemic in many countries of the world, including Georgia, with that said Georgia also belongs to number of countries with high spread of C hepatitis virus. In 2015 a population-based cross-sectional household sero-survey was undertaken by the Georgian National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC) in collaboration with USA Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that showed that 7.7% of population was positive for HCV antibodies, while 5.4% was RNA-Positive, meaning that part of population had acute form of the disease. Based on this, a large-scale elimination program was launched in the country, the goal of which is the complete elimination of the disease in Georgia, to achieve this goal a five-year strategic plan was developed based on the recommendations provided by the World Health Organization. Within the framework of these recommendations, the awareness of the population about the disease was intensively raised, and a sound laboratory method was introduced, which was a prerequisite for achieving the current progress in the country. The purpose of this research is to show the importance of the necessary laboratory methods for the correct diagnosis of the disease, in particular the algorithm created for the confirmation of the positive results obtained after HCV rapid-test screening, the validity and sensitivity of methods are both greatly emphasized, since results subsequently ensure a quick and effective response to the diagnosis, so that the confirmed positive patients can be immediately included in the treatment measures. In the paper, the analysis algorithm is discussed in detail, with its methods, namely the ARCHITECT HCV core antigen test that uses chemiluminescence immunoassay and Xpert® HCV Viral Load PCR, the importance of each is expressed, and the essence and effectiveness of their joint use is shown. Due to the relevance of the topic and its great importance in relation to the health of the population of Georgia, I hope that the presented work will not only be interesting for readers, but will also increase awareness about the hepatitis C virus, provide the necessary information about the control of the mentioned disease in the country, and contribute to the final elimination of the disease in the near future.