Nearly 40 per cent (six million) of people who inject drugs globally are currently living with hepatitis C. But less than 10 per cent of those who need it have accessed treatment.
“We need creative programmes that are capable of reaching the most vulnerable with those drugs we know can cure the disease,” said Helen Clark, Former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Ambassador for The Hepatitis Fund.
“The appallingly unnecessary deaths of US prisoners from Hepatitis C reported last year, and the horrific number of indigenous people in Australian prisons being reinfected with the virus after being cured that has been revealed here in Melbourne at the Harm Reduction International Conference is a tragedy.
“The situation in many lower- and middle-income countries is likely to be much worse, so there is an urgency here to move fast. UNITAID ought to be congratulated for its foresight – let’s hope it`s a flashpoint for other donors and governments to similarly commit to such lifesaving work.”
ENDS
More information about the new Unitaid investment is available here.
About The Hepatitis Fund
The Hepatitis Fund (THF), a foundation based in Geneva, is the only grant-making organization working on hepatitis elimination. THF expertise lies in being able to define, in collaboration with the hepatitis community, which investments will have a truly catalytic effect and then make, manage, and monitor those investments. For more information, please visit: www.endhep2030.org