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Mitt Nama (Egypt) – When I heard Hwaida Mabrouk talk about a campaign organized by the Egyptian government to look for free millions of citizens in order to screen patients with hepatitis C, she n & # 39; She did not want to take the exam, but she changed her mind after many of her family members and acquaintances began flocking to medical centers. Examination.
"At first, I was scared, I was afraid of what had happened to everyone," she said. "I was scared of finding out if I had a virus."
After a quick blood test that took about five minutes, the nurse entered Hwaida's heart and told her that he did not have hepatitis C.
In October, Egypt launched an unprecedented campaign to screen for the hepatitis C virus and treat more than 50 million adults 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.
The World Bank said that Egypt, with a population of nearly 100 million, had the highest rate of hepatitis C virus infection in the world and that 4.4% of the Egyptian adult population was suffering from 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. These diseases account for about 70% of deaths in Egypt.
"A history of history in good health"
The campaign runs until April and takes place in three stages, each comprising a number of governorates.
"The initiative is a huge initiative that has a large number of people and will help change the health map of Egypt," said John Jabbour, WHO representative in Egypt.
He described the initiative as "a healthy precedent that history will record".
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by a virus that circulates in the blood. In general, acute infection with hepatitis C virus does not accompany any symptoms, but a large number of people with chronic infection develop cirrhosis or cancer of the hepatitis C virus. liver.
There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C, but antiviral drugs can cure over 95% of people with it. The number of people infected with the disease in the world is about 71 million people.
The most common methods of infection are dangerous injection practices, non-sterilization of medical equipment, blood transfusion and blood products without examination.
The main reason for the spread of hepatitis C in Egypt is the multiple use of non-sterile injections during the country's fight against the spread of schistosomiasis several decades ago.
The World Bank said in a report published this year that the blood supply in Egypt is being tested with a technology that does not detect most infections, especially the hepatitis C virus.
The campaign, dubbed the President's Initiative for the elimination of virus C and the detection of noncommunicable diseases, is not only free for those 18 years and older, but also includes free treatment for people with these diseases.
The initiative is accompanied by an extensive advertising campaign in the various media, as well as posters and publications disseminated everywhere to encourage citizens to participate.
Posters and posters, bearing the slogan of the initiative ($ 100 million health) and the image of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, have invaded many streets of Cairo, where the campaign had resulted with the start of the second leg Saturday.
Prime Minister Mustapha Medbouli said at a press conference Thursday that 11.5 million people had been tested during the first phase of the two-month campaign. The results showed that five percent of them were infected with hepatitis C.
Health Minister Hala Zayed said the results so far show that the number of people infected with the disease in rural areas is higher than in urban areas.
On a Sunday in November, dozens of people, mostly women, arrived at Met's health unit in the village and grew up to undergo free tests.
"I have plenty of time to have a baby," said Hind Saad, a 30-year-old housewife who gave birth to her last child.
She added that she was aware of the importance of the campaign when she learned that her aunt had discovered hepatitis C after the tests.
Mobile checkpoints
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