{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]],"date-time":"2026-02-12T16:17:44Z","timestamp":1770913064266,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768348800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768348800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of Viral Hepatitis"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>In 2015, Georgia launched a hepatitis C elimination programme with free screening and treatment. However, a large number of persons were lost to follow up after screening for, or diagnosis with, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. During February 2023\u2013September 2024, we conducted active outreach to reengage persons who were lost to follow\u2010up in care and assess barriers to hepatitis C care and treatment through questionnaires covering pre\u2010 and post\u2010outreach perceptions. Among 18,034 persons who tested HCV antibody (anti\u2010HCV) reactive but were not tested for HCV viremia and had valid contact information, 14,252 (79%) could be reached, among whom 64% were unaware of their test result. After outreach, 4593 (32%) completed HCV viremia testing, among whom 2440 (53%) tested positive and 1577 (65%) initiated treatment. Main reasons for not seeking care after active outreach were having another chronic illness (33%) and being unaware they were screened for anti\u2010HCV (23%). Among 13,151 persons diagnosed with HCV infection who did not initiate treatment and had valid contact information, 6982 (53%) were reached, among whom 2267 (33%) initiated treatment. The main reason for not initiating treatment before outreach was lack of information (62%) and after outreach was distrust in the hepatitis C elimination programme (79%). Treatment initiation was more common among those first tested in recent years. Active outreach successfully identified new infections and nearly 40% of those diagnosed initiated treatment. Educating patients about their test results and promptly linking them to care and treatment is essential to achieve hepatitis C elimination.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.70135","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T10:31:25Z","timestamp":1768386685000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Identifying and Linking to Care and Treatment Persons With Hepatitis C Who Were Lost to Follow\u2010Up, Georgia 2023\u20132024"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"33","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9337-1908","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vladimer","family":"Getia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Disease Control and Public Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Paata","family":"Imnadze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Disease Control and Public Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eka","family":"Adamia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Disease Control and Public Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maia","family":"Tsereteli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Disease Control and Public Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maia","family":"Alkhazashvili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Center for Disease Control and Public Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sophia","family":"Surguladze","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Task Force for Global Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irina Tskhomelidze","family":"Schumacher","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Task Force for Global Health  Tbilisi Georgia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nancy","family":"Glass","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Viral Hepatitis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  Atlanta Georgia USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Shaun","family":"Shadaker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Viral Hepatitis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  Atlanta Georgia USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rania A.","family":"Tohme","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Viral Hepatitis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  Atlanta Georgia USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_13_2_1","unstructured":"World 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