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A new approach tested in Egypt could become the blueprint for providing cutting-edge medicines to the poor.
Nowhere is the virus more entrenched than in Egypt. There are an estimated 150,000 new infections each year, caused by reuse of disposable syringes, accidental needle sticks, tainted medical equipment, and even the sharing of nail clippers and toothbrushes among family members.
Each infected Egyptian passes the virus to three others on average, said Dr. Manal Hamdy El-Sayed, who directs the national hepatitis-awareness campaign. Egypt’s National Liver Institute runs 50 treatment centers and consumes a third of the national health budget.
Fear of the virus is pervasive.
The Egyptian government’s ambitious goals are to treat 300,000 hepatitis patients a year starting in 2016 and to drive the national infection rate below 2 percent by 2025.
Read more…http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/16/health/hepatitis-c-treatment-egypt.html