P.E.I. a 'front-runner' in Canada when it comes to eliminating hepatitis C, say health officials

Prince Edward Island has not met its target of eliminating hepatitis C in the province by 2025, but it's still ahead of the rest of Canada in its efforts to reach that goal. 

In 2015, the government of the day put $5 million into a strategy aimed at reducing the number of people with the virus to the point where it was no longer a public health concern in 10 years' time. 

Cases have dropped over the last decade, but new ones are still popping up, meaning there's more work to be done. 

"We're pretty close; we're not quite there. We're still having a bit more individuals testing positive than we would anticipate," said Shawn Greenan, the hepatitis C co-ordinator for P.E.I. Public Health. 

"Other than that, we've brought it down to a pretty healthy number." 

Hepatitis C is spread through blood, which could include contact with needles or through sexual activity. 

The virus attacks liver cells, increasing scarring on the organ and predisposes patients to liver cancer. 

There are currently 43 known cases on the Island. 

Greenan said public health officials test about 5,000-6,000 people a year, and work with groups like PEERS Alliance, Adventure Group and correctional services to identify those who might be at risk or have contracted the virus. 

Between 2018 and 2020, and average of five people per month were testing positive, he said. These days, a bad month would mean two or three new cases. 

Once a patient is identified through testing, though, there are treatments that Greenan said are 95 to 98 per cent effective in curing hepatitis C outright.  

Healthier, happier lives

Naveed Janjua is the co-director of the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C, which co-ordinates with provinces across the country on their strategy to combat the virus. 

While P.E.I. isn't on track to eliminate hepatitis C by this year, Janjua estimates that it will be the first province in Canada to do so at some point. 

He said the Island's small population allows community groups and public health officials to identify patients more effectively, and provide them with care for other underlying issues. 

"Some people may have addictions or substance-use disorder, or some people might have other chronic conditions," Janua said. 

"If you're able to bring people to receive care, then their other conditions will also be addressed and that will help them to stay healthy and live healthier lives overall."

Eliminating hepatitis C doesn't mean having zero cases, but rather barely any new ones in P.E.I. 

That can be tricky, since there's no immunity after an infection and there's no vaccine to prevent the virus's spread yet. 

Still, Greenan is optimistic that this province will be able to declare the virus eliminated by next year. 

"We're probably one to two years ahead of everybody else in terms of achieving elimination," he said. 

"We're definitely front-runners on this one."