Egypt becomes 1st country to achieve WHO validation on path to elimination of hepatitis C

Egypt has become the first country to achieve "gold tier" status on the path to elimination of hepatitis C, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

“Achieving the gold tier means that Egypt has fulfilled the programmatic requirements that facilitate the reduction of new hepatitis C infections and deaths to levels that position the country to end the hepatitis C epidemic,” the WHO said in a statement.

"Egypt has successfully transitioned from having one of the highest rates of hepatitis C in the world to one of the lowest by reducing the prevalence of hepatitis C from 10% to 0.38% in just over a decade," the statement said, adding that the country has surpassed the “gold tier” targets by diagnosing 87% of infected individuals and providing curative treatment to 93% of those diagnosed.

It said that about 58 million individuals globally are living with chronic hepatitis C infection. “While there is no vaccine, the disease can be cured with highly effective and curative short-course treatments that last 8--12 weeks.”

The WHO said that four out of five people living with hepatitis C are unaware of their infection worldwide, adding that if left untreated, the infection can lead to liver disease and cancer.

“Egypt is an example to the world of what can be achieved with modern tools, and political commitment at the highest level to use those tools to prevent infections and save lives," WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said.