On July 27, Rona Ambrose, minister of health, announced $4.5 million dollar investment in a new national network focused on improving the health of Canadians living with hepatitis C and preventing new infections. The announcement was made in advance of World Hepatitis Day on July 28.
“Our Government is committed to working with provinces, territories and other partners to address the challenge of hepatitis C in Canada,” Ambrose says. “This network will be an important resource as we work together to raise awareness, prevent new infections, and improve the health of Canadians living with hepatitis C.”
In 2010, the World Health Organization along with the World Hepatitis Alliance made World Hepatitis Day one of only four official disease-specific health days. Celebrated annually on July 28, the initiative raises awareness about viral hepatitis.
The National Collaborative Hepatitis C Networkwill be led by Dr. Naglaa Shoukry, a scientist at the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal Research Centre (CRCHUM) and an Associate Professor at Université de Montréal, and involve more than 60 researchers, health professionals and partners across the country. Through the network, funded through a partnership between the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Public Health Agency of Canada, Dr. Shoukry and her team will work to improve prevention strategies, enhance access and adherence to treatment and better understand the health challenges of Canadians living with hepatitis C.
“Our network is guided by the overall goal of eliminating hepatitis C in Canada,” says Dr. Shoukry. “Through a continuous pipeline from discovery to implementation, we intend to reduce transmission of the virus through novel prevention strategies and vaccine development, increase the number of those cured of infection in particular in vulnerable populations through innovative treatment strategies and cascade of care, and improve health outcomes among those living with hepatitis C.”
