Hepatitis C infection is a worldwide problem. The World Health Organization estimates that 71 million people in the world carry the hepatitis C virus. Many of those infected who are not treated will suffer from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Egypt has the highest rate of hepatitis C infections in the world. Ten years ago, it was estimated that nearly fifteen percent of Egyptians – eleven million people – were infected.

Since then, Egypt has become a global leader in hepatitis C prevention and treatment. Dr. Wahid Doss outlines the success of the Egyptian program and talks about the challenges of treatment financing, the use of new technologies to facilitate care, and the importance of political support and commitment.

The work Egypt is doing to reduce the incidence of hepatitis C and deaths due to the disease will lay the foundation for unprecedented global progress against chronic and infectious disease. Egypt’s success has shown that dramatic improvements in public health are possible when countries commit themselves to using the latest technologies and treatments to eradicate a disease.