{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,24]],"date-time":"2026-10-24T01:53:29Z","timestamp":1792806809887,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":127,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]],"date-time":"2025-07-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1753920000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"\u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d, University of Galati","id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/052sta926","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The global elimination of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been prioritized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a key public health target, with a deadline set for 2030. This initiative aims to significantly reduce both new infection rates and HCV-associated mortality. A major breakthrough in achieving this goal has been the development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), which offer cure rates exceeding 95%, along with excellent safety and tolerability. Nevertheless, transmission via parenteral routes continues to be the dominant pathway, particularly among high-risk groups, such as individuals who inject drugs, incarcerated populations, those exposed to unsafe medical practices, and healthcare professionals. Identifying, monitoring, and delivering tailored interventions to these groups is crucial to interrupt ongoing transmission and to reduce the burden of chronic liver disease. On a global scale, several nations have demonstrated measurable progress toward HCV elimination, with some nearing the targets set by WHO. These achievements have largely resulted from context-adapted policies that enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic access while emphasizing outreach to vulnerable communities. This review synthesizes current advancements in HCV prevention and control and proposes strategic frameworks to expedite global elimination efforts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v17081069","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,1]],"date-time":"2025-08-01T06:37:47Z","timestamp":1754030267000},"page":"1069","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":24,"title":["Hepatitis C Virus: Epidemiological Challenges and Global Strategies for Elimination"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-1474-0156","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniela","family":"Toma","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University Galati, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucre\u021bia","family":"Anghel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saint Apostle Andrew Emergency County Clinical Hospital, 177 Brailei St., 800578 Galati, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University of Galati, 35 AI Cuza St., 800010 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Diana","family":"Patra\u0219","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University Galati, 800008 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0740-3702","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anamaria","family":"Ciubar\u0103","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, \u201cDunarea de Jos\u201d University of Galati, 35 AI Cuza St., 800010 Galati, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Hepatitis, C. 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