Hepatitis C (HCV), a potentially life-threatening virus infecting 1.5 million new individuals worldwide each year, can be effectively treated if diagnosed early. Regrettably, access to high-quality screening for HCV remains far from universal. A notable example is Egypt, a country with one of the world’s highest HCV prevalence rates.
In 2015, HCV affected an estimated 7 percent of Egypt’s population and accounted for 7.6 percent of the country’s mortality, imposing a substantial healthcare and societal burden. However, Egypt has made remarkable progress. In 2018, the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population initiated a nationwide HCV screening and treatment campaign as part of its 2014-2018 HCV action plan. The campaign’s outcomes were nothing short of inspiring: by July 2020, Egypt had screened over 60 million individuals and treated 4 million residents. As a result, Egypt is on the brink of becoming the first country in the world to eliminate HCV within its borders.
Egypt’s successful HCV screening program underscores the pivotal role of diagnostics in enhancing global health outcomes. An integral component of any healthcare system is the ability to prevent diseases, which encompasses timely screening and detection. However, a preventive strategy based on timely diagnosis can only succeed with the establishment of a robust healthcare infrastructure.
