In The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Sigurdur Olafsson and colleagues report that important WHO service coverage targets for elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have been reached in Iceland—the first time they have been achieved in a high-income country. 1 Olafsson S Fridriksdottir RH Love TJ et al. Cascade of care during the first 36 months of the treatment as prevention for hepatitis C (TraP HepC) programme in Iceland: a population-based study. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021; (published online June 22.) Elimination of HCV is defined by WHO as 80% reduction in incidence and 65% reduction in HCV-related mortality compared with a 2015 baseline, and to reach these goals WHO set service coverage targets of 90% of cases being diagnosed and 80% of diagnosed cases being treated. 2 WHO
Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis, 2016–2021. Among 865 infections diagnosed, 824 (95·3%) were linked to care and 717 (87·0%) of those were cured in the study period. This great achievement is a milestone in the effort towards global HCV elimination.