Training on Hepatitis C: Treatment and Care in Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan, February 7-9, 2012

The Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia conducting a ToT on Hepatitis C: Treatment and Care in Kazakhstan

The Columbia University Global Health Research Center of Central Asia (GHRCCA) conducts a three days training entitled Hepatitis C: Treatment and Care on February 7-9, 2012 in Kazakhstan. Trainers - Danny Morris and Neil Hunt are coming from the UK-based “Correlation” Project – European Network Social Inclusion and Health and are the experts in the field of harm reduction, drug abuse, and drug policy.

Danny Morris and Neil Hunt have an extensive experience in designing and delivering high quality and effective training and consultation and aspire to evidence based practice and interventions.   The trainers represent the organization from the UK, Correlation which works to tackle health inequalities, and to improve prevention, care and treatment services, targeting blood borne infection diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C among vulnerable and high risk populations. The Correlation developed the training manual “Hepatitis C: Treatment and Care” with the financial assistance from the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network, which was translated into Russian by the Ukrainian Harm Reduction Alliance. The GHRCCA with the financial assistance of Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program in partnership with the USAID-funded Quality Healthcare project organized this training of trainers for the government representatives, medical doctors, social workers, HCV infected people, and NGO representatives from different cities of Kazakhstan, including Astana, Almaty, Temirtau, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. The training agenda covers the HCV transmission and risk factors, HCV prevalence and course of infection, testing and monitoring, treatment options, and co-infection with HIV. The participants will obtain skills in testing and advocacy with the steps and action planning.

Kazakhstan has experienced HCV infection recent years. The Government of Kazakhstan allocated funds to respond to transmission of HCV with new programs, however, more work needs to be done for awareness raising and educational projects among medical doctors, social and outreach workers and HCV patients.