Egypt's Ambitious Strategy to Eliminate Hepatitis C Virus: A Case Study.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection poses a significant global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
• Egypt faced one of the world's highest HCV infection rates in 2015, contributing substantially to national mortality.
• A national strategy was launched in 2014 to eliminate HCV by 2021.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze Egypt's HCV control strategy using the Kingdon framework.
• To understand the convergence of problem, policy, and political factors enabling HCV elimination.
• To identify implementation aspects, lessons learned, and provide recommendations for other nations.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative case study approach.
• Analysis of Egypt's national HCV control strategy.
• Application of the Kingdon framework to policy analysis.

Main Results:

• Over 50 million individuals screened and over 4 million treated for HCV between 2014 and 2020.
• Key success factors included robust epidemiologic data, strong public health infrastructure, inclusive care, increased health spending, and innovative research.
• Egypt is positioned to be the first country to eliminate HCV.

Conclusions:

• Egypt's comprehensive HCV screening and treatment program has been highly successful.
• The nation's experience offers valuable insights for other low- and middle-income countries aiming for HCV elimination.
• Lessons learned can inform future public health strategies for infectious disease control.