An unprecedented Egyptian campaign against hepatitis

An unprecedented Egyptian campaign against hepatitis

An Egyptian doctor analyzes the blood of a woman in the countryside (Reuters)

Cairo: Middle East Online

In October, Egypt launched an unprecedented campaign to test more than 50 million adults for hepatitis C detection and treat them free of charge as part of its commitment to eradicate the disease by 2022.
Egyptian officials have described the spread of hepatitis C as one of the country's most serious health problems, saying that eradication was a priority.
According to the World Bank, Egypt, with a population of nearly 100 million, is experiencing the highest rate of hepatitis C infection in the world, with 4.4% of the Egyptian adult population, according to a random survey.
The disease kills 40,000 Egyptians each year, making it the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.
The campaign also includes free tests to detect basic noncommunicable diseases, diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
The campaign will continue until April in three phases, each comprising several governorates.
"This initiative is very large and has a very large number of people and will help change the health map of Egypt," said John Jabbour, WHO representative in Egypt. The two main health problems, virus C and all risk factors and noncommunicable diseases, are eliminated. "
He described the initiative as "a healthy past that history will record".
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that circulates in the blood. Usually, hepatitis C infection is not accompanied by symptoms, but many people with chronic infection develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C, but antiretroviral drugs can cure more than 95% of people with it. The number of people infected with the disease in the world is about 71 million people.
This initiative is accompanied by an extensive publicity campaign in the various media, as well as posters and publications distributed everywhere to encourage citizens to participate.
Banners and posters, bearing the slogan of the "100 million healthy people" initiative and the image of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have invaded many streets of Cairo, which reached the countryside with the beginning of the second leg Saturday.
The World Bank is the main funder of the campaign and the Egyptian government contributes part of its budget.
According to a Cabinet press release, the World Bank provided $ 133 million for the survey and $ 129 million for the patients.
The bank said it hoped to transfer the Egyptian experience in this area to other countries.

L & # 39; Egypt

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