Taiwan seeking highest WHO recognition for curbing hepatitis C: Lai

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Taiwan will apply for World Health Organization (WHO) certification of its success in preventing and treating hepatitis C by the end of this year, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said at a news conference Wednesday.

"We are scheduled to file an application with the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific to certify the elimination of hepatitis C by the end of this year, to demonstrate to the world Taiwan's resolve to safeguard public health and share our strategies and experience," Lai said.

Given that Taiwan is not a member of the WHO, it may be a challenge to get WHO certification, but Lai on Wednesday seemed confident that Taiwan has positioned itself for such recognition.

Taiwan believes it has met the criteria for gold tier certification under the WHO's three-tier "Path to Elimination" framework designed to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90 percent and hepatitis-related deaths by 65 percent globally from 2015 levels.

The country has achieved over 90 percent diagnosis and treatment rates and 100 percent blood and injection safety, while providing more than 150 needles and syringes to any individual who injects drugs, said Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬), director-general of the Health Promotion Administration.

The WHO gold tier standard is 100 percent blood and injection safety coverage, 80 percent diagnosis coverage, and 70 percent treatment coverage, in addition to supplying each person who injects drugs with at least 150 needles and syringes each year.

The WHO standard does not require complete "elimination" of the disease, which Taiwan has not yet achieved, having reported 395 cases of acute hepatitis C in Taiwan and eight deaths from the disease so far this year, according to Taiwan Centers for Disease Control data.

But Lai said Taiwan has taken many steps to reduce the prevalence of the disease, from establishing a national office for hepatitis C prevention to covering new direct-acting antiviral medications under the country's national health insurance system, significantly reducing the cost for treatment.

Since the drugs were first covered in January 2017, about 176,000 Taiwanese citizens had undergone hepatitis C treatment as of June, with a cure rate of 98.4 percent, Lai said.

In 2018, Lai said, he approved the Taiwan Hepatitis C Policy Guidelines in his capacity as premier, ushering in precision public health policies focusing on prevention measures for different demographics.

Taiwan might not be eligible for the WHO's country validation system, however, as the body does not recognize Taiwan as a country.

The WHO could also reject a report being prepared by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) for the health body documenting Taiwan's path to eliminating the disease given that Taiwan is not a member.

Shen said that was a possibility but indicated that the MOHW will submit the report regardless.

Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said the ministry has informed experts at the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific of the delivery and sent them the report in advance.

Hepatitis C is an inflammation of the liver and is commonly contracted through unsafe injections and sexual practices, and may result in lifelong illness such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, according to the WHO.

An estimated 50 million people worldwide have chronic hepatitis C virus infection, with around 1 million new infections each year, the WHO noted.

Because Taiwan is not a member of the WHO, it participated in the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer from 2009 to 2016 under the name "Chinese Taipei" under the then-Kuomintang administration, which advocated closer ties with China.

Due to political pressure from China, Taiwan has been excluded from the WHA since 2017, after the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party came into power in 2016.