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CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt is poised to reach its goal of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030, the date set as the global goal of fighting the disease, after a campaign to free millions of its citizens , announced Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO).
Last October, Egypt launched an unprecedented campaign to screen millions of adult citizens and students from the age of 12 onwards to screen for hepatitis C and treat them free of charge as part of its commitment to eradicate HIV. disease by 2022.
Egyptian officials describe the spread of hepatitis C as one of the country's most serious health problems and claim that its elimination is a priority.
"The campaign against hepatitis C (in Egypt) is the largest ever organized (in the world) .Today, more than 60 million people have been screened since the beginning of the program," said Adhanom at a press conference at the presidential residence Thursday afternoon with President Abdel Fattah. This represents more than 60% of the total population ".
| Adhanom expects Egypt to "succeed in eliminating hepatitis C" well before 2030 (Reuters) |
Proud
"I am very proud that Global Health is a partner and WHO will continue this partnership until the elimination of hepatitis C in this country," Adhanom said.
He predicted that Egypt, based on its achievements so far, would manage to eliminate hepatitis C well before 2030.
Adhanom handed over to the Egyptian president the results of a study conducted by the organization on the campaign, which confirms the validity of the figures announced by Egypt.
He also said that his organization would work to transfer the Egyptian experience of fighting hepatitis C in other countries.
According to statistics obtained today by the Reuters Department of Health, the initial test revealed that 2.2 million people were infected with "C" hepatitis, of which about 1.5 million were confirmed after having undergone a more specific test called "PCR".
The ministry has already started treating these patients for free, but said one group would not work with them because of age and other illnesses preventing treatment.
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world Bank
The World Bank is the main sponsor of the campaign under the slogan "100 million dollars for health". The Egyptian government contributed part of its budget and provided global technical support to health.
According to a statement from the firm, the World Bank spent $ 133 million on the screening campaign and $ 129 million on patient treatment.
The World Bank said that Egypt, which has about 100 million inhabitants, is experiencing the highest rate of infection with the hepatitis C virus.
Before the start of the campaign, it was estimated that about 4.4% of the Egyptian adult population had been injured, 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.
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The screening campaign, which took place in several stages, also included free tests to detect major noncommunicable diseases, diabetes, hypertension and obesity, responsible for approximately 70% of deaths.
Egyptians in general complain about the poor health services, especially hospitals and public health centers, but the campaign ($ 100 million) to eliminate hepatitis "C" and noncommunicable diseases has has been hailed by the international community and endorsed by many Egyptians.
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