Nationwide hepatitis C virus screening and treatment of adolescents in Egyptian schools. (July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kamal, Ehab; Asem, Noha; Hassany, Mohamed; Elshishiney, Galal; Abdel-Razek, Wael; Said, Heba; Abdel Hamid, Sohair; Essam, Tamer; Rehan, Ahmed; Salah, Aysam; Saad, Tarek; Shawky, Nasr; Mostafa, Abdalla; Omar, Yasser; Ammar, Islam; Saeed, Ramy; AbdAllah, Mohamed; Jabbour, Jean; Hashish, Alaa; Bastawy, Samah; El Qareh, Noha; Gamaleldin, Nahla; Kabil, Khaled; Doss, Wahid; El-Sayed, Manal H; Zaid, Hala
• Is Part Of: Lancet gastroenterology and hepatology. Volume 7:Number 7(2022)
• Page Start: 658
• Page End: 665
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(21)00464-7
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2468-1253

Abstract

Summary: Until 2018, Egypt had the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection globally, affecting approximately 7% of the population. Despite efforts in diagnosis and treatment since 2006, nearly 2 million individuals with chronic HCV infection had yet to be diagnosed as of early 2018. In December, 2018, a mass HCV screening campaign for adolescents aged 15–18 years was initiated. Among 3 024 325 adolescents screened, the HCV antibody seroprevalence was 11 477 (0·38%), of whom 8187 (78·7%) were HCV RNA-positive. Sustained virological response 12 weeks after completion of treatment (SVR12) was attained by 7327 (99·6%) adolescents with a fixed-dose combination of generic ledipasvir 90 mg plus sofosbuvir 400 mg. Although mass screening in this age group might not be regularly adopted by many health systems and its cost-effectiveness might be lower than the screening of adults and high-risk groups (eg, patients on haemodialysis, people who inject drugs), breaking the chain of transmission in younger populations should lead to a reduction in HCV incidence and complications, and hasten the elimination of the disease.