As part of these efforts, INHSU organizes the annual International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users. The Conference covers the latest advances on the epidemiology, public health, prevention, management and treatment of hepatitis C among people who use drugs.
The event attracts over 700 delegates from all over the world, including people living with viral hepatitis, people who use drugs, advocates, health care providers, programme managers, harm reduction experts, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, and policy-makers. These meetings have been incredibly successful and have catalyzed knowledge exchange to drive forward advances in hepatitis C among people who use drugs. INHSU will hold its 8th meeting from September 9-11th, 2019 in Montreal, Canada (INHSU 2019). The 9th International Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users will be held from October 6-9, 2020 in Glasgow, Scotland (INHSU 2020).
Although the INHSU International Conference has been incredibly successful, the conference has predominantly been held in countries in Australasia, North America, and Western Europe. There remains a pressing need to further advance and facilitate knowledge exchange to catalyze enhanced hepatitis care for people who use drugs in other areas of the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The 1st Regional Conference on Hepatitis Care in Substance Users: INHSU 2020 Africa will be held in February, 2020 in Cape Town, South Africa. The goal will be to bring together people to cover the latest advances on the epidemiology, public health, prevention, clinical management, and policy related to hepatitis C and health care for people who use drugs, with a specific focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Attendees will include people living with viral hepatitis, people who use drugs, advocates, health care providers, programme managers, harm reduction experts, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, and policy-makers.
The major objectives of the INHSU 2020 Africa Conference are to discuss:
- Epidemiology of hepatitis C, other infectious diseases, and drug use among people who use drugs in Africa
- The global WHO targets for hepatitis C elimination and how these can be achieved in Africa
- Good practices for enhancing hepatitis C prevention, testing and treatment for people who use drugs
- Integration of care for hepatitis C, drug user health, HIV and other infectious diseases in Africa
- How modelling and health economics can inform public health decision making
- How the WHO health systems framework can be addressed to facilitate improvements in HCV prevention and care
- Community-based work to support hepatitis C prevention, harm reduction, treatment and care for people who use drugs to identify ways this can be replicated across different settings
- How people who inject drugs can empowered to lead efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination and increase access to hepatitis C care and other health services
- Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration between stakeholders
- Discuss how poverty, homelessness, stigma, discrimination and drug user health need to be addressed as part of a package to enhance hepatitis C care for people who use drugs
- Exemplary policies related to hepatitis C, other infectious diseases, harm reduction, and drug use