WHO launches new anti-Hep C campaign kicks off Saturday

CAIRO – 28 July 2018: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Population organized Saturday a campaign to detect Hepatitis C virus at Al-Azhar Park from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. titled, “Virus C: Us or It ”.

The campaign was launched on the occasion of the International Day of Hepatitis 2018, President Sisi’s initiative and non-governmental organizations which are interested in combating hepatitis viruses.

John Jabbour, WHO’s representative in Egypt, said that the WHO is working on detecting Hepatitis C in Egypt and providing necessary treatment to people in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.

Jabbour confirmed that 325 million people in the world suffer from Hepatitis B and viral Hepatitis C, which leads to liver cancer, resulting in 1.34 million deaths annually.

He also added that at least 60 percent of liver cancer cases worldwide are due to delayed detection of early cases of Hepatitis, so there is a need for medical examination to provide the necessary treatment within three months, where the World Health Organization aims to achieve the goal of eliminating the disease in the world by 2030.

In the same context, Gamal Ismat, member of the National Committee for Hepatitis Virus and a WHO consultant for Hepatitis, said that Egypt has introduced vaccines against Hepatitis B since 1991, so a large part of the Egyptian population aged 27 years or younger has become immune to B.

For his part, Omar Heikal, member of the Higher Committee for Liver Diseases, said that Egypt has approved LE 35 million for the comprehensive medical survey in the neediest governorates such as Minya, Sohag, Beni Suef, Fayoum, and Aswan.

Heikal added that the survey provided through five ambulances in every medical center for examination, evaluation, and disbursement of treatment on the same day, explaining that Egypt was able to treat two million patients with a success rate of up to 95 percent.

He affirmed that the plan that is provided by the Ministry of Health and WHO will make Egypt free of Hepatitis C in three to five years and will reach global rates in the prevalence rates of the virus.

On 22 February 2018, the Ministry of Health announced the launch of the hepatitis C field inspections in the remanding 10 governorates, as a part of the Ministry’s nation-wide initiative to eliminate the spread of the Hepatitis C by 2022.