Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hailed Egypt’s campaign to treat hepatitis C as a model for combating the virus in Africa, according to a statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Health on Sunday.
Ghebreyesus met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2019, hailing the campaign, which managed to screen 60 million people and provide hepatitis C patients with free treatment.
Egyptian Minister of Health Hala Zayed pointed out that Egypt is the first country to completely eliminate the virus, and that it celebrated this feat by declaring itself free of the virus on World Hepatitis Day, on July 28 of this year.
Zayed added that the campaign, titled 100 Million Health, is dedicated to combating the virus and non-communicable diseases, and to investing in building human capabilities.
WHO Representative in Egypt John Jabbour congratulated the Egyptian government on continuing to provide hepatitis C screening and treatment services, even amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jabbour hailed Egypt’s measures for combating the virus, including establishing the National Hepatitis Anti-Virus Committee in 2006, introducing new drugs in 2014, automating patient databases, and conducting the world’s largest survey of hepatitis C and non-communicable diseases in 2018 and 2019.
