Published online Oct 14, 2018. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v24.i38.4330
Peer-review started: March 27, 2018
First decision: April 3, 2018
Revised: September 13, 2018
Accepted: October 5, 2018
Article in press: October 5, 2018
Published online: October 14, 2018
Processing time: 198 Days and 20.1 Hours
Worldwide, more than one million people die each year from hepatitis C virus (HCV) related diseases, and over 300 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B or C. Egypt used to be on the top of the countries with heavy HCV burden. Some countries are making advances in elimination of HCV, yet multiple factors preventing progress; remain for the majority. These factors include lack of global funding sources for treatment, late diagnosis, poor data, and inadequate screening. Treatment of HCV in Egypt has become one of the top national priorities since 2007. Egypt started a national treatment program intending to provide cure for Egyptian HCV-infected patients. Mass HCV treatment program had started using Pegylated interferon and ribavirin between 2007 and 2014. Yet, with the development of highly-effective direct acting antivirals (DAAs) for HCV, elimination of viral hepatitis has become a real possibility. The Egyptian National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis did its best to provide Egyptian HCV patients with DAAs. Egypt adopted a strategy that represents a model of care that could help other countries with high HCV prevalence rate in their battle against HCV. This review covers the effects of HCV management in Egyptian real life settings and the outcome of different treatment protocols. Also, it deals with the current and future strategies for HCV prevention and screening as well as the challenges facing HCV elimination and the prospect of future eradication of HCV.
Core tip: Egypt started a large treatment program intended to provide therapy for Egyptian hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. The Egyptian National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis provides a model of care that could help other countries with high HCV prevalence rate in their battle against HCV. This review covers the results of HCV management in Egyptian real life settings and the outcome of different treatment protocols. Also, it covers the current and future strategies for HCV prevention and screening. Lastly, we discussed the challenges facing HCV elimination and the prospect of future eradication of HCV.