The Hepatitis C pilot screening study on Saturday, April 30 in Sitges has once again been a success.

The Department of Health of the Sitges City Council, the Public Health Agency of Catalonia, the Hepatology service of the Valle de Hebrón University Hospital​ and the departments of Digestive and Internal Medicine of the Hospital Sant Camil, in addition to funding through the scholarship offered by Gilead Sciences, and sponsored by the Spanish Society for the Study of the Liver (AEEH ), this Saturday a massive hepatitis C screening was carried out, taking advantage of the Bear Sitges Weekend.

Twenty-one volunteers from our association, Colors Sitges Link, and more than a dozen from the Sant Camil hospital participated in the event, giving support to the tents set up in front of Balmins beach and on Passeig de la Ribera, in front of Bonaire street, in which 233 Hepatitis C tests were carried out. In addition, they walked the busiest streets informing about the massive study and accompanied many interested parties both to the tents and to our headquarters, where 6 other volunteers carried out 40 HIV and syphilis tests throughout the day, from 11 in the morning until 9 at night.

Thanks to the work of the volunteers, it has been possible to successfully carry out so many tests that, in addition, have been very well received among the participants, the vast majority of whom are MSM. It is in actions as important as this that one can unequivocally appreciate the commendable work of volunteers, always so necessary.

Thanks to all the participants who were at the foot of the canyon, giving away their time on a Saturday.

The objective of the study is to identify vulnerable populations for hepatitis C. The idea is to repeat the voluntary screening of adults, who participate in the main leisure parties in Sitges throughout this year 2022: Sitges Gay Pride (June 8 to 12); International Bears Sitges Week (September 2 to 11). The expectation is to perform the hepatitis C test on 1,800 volunteers.

The WHO (World Health Organization) has indicated as one of its objectives the elimination of hepatitis C by the year 2030. This will require multidisciplinary action and the identification of hepatitis C in populations more prevalent.