The Armed Forces will participate in a national campaign to eliminate the "silent killer" Hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The Armed Forces will participate in the treatment of conscripts who are infected with Hepatitis C.

In May, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi urged Health Minister Ahmed Emadeldin Rady to work on eliminating Hepatitis C virus within one year.

In 2008, the demographic survey showed that 30% of people infected with Hepatitis C virus in Egypt had received unsafe treatment for schistosomiasis (bilharzia) via poorly sterilized glass syringes.

In 2015, there were 350,000 persons on waiting lists for the treatment of Hepatitis C, he said, adding in August 2016, there were no waiting lists in all Egyptian governorates.

The price tag of the imported HCV drug is 10,600 pounds for a course of treatment extending for three months, the minister underlined.

However, this cost decreased by 85% after the use of Egyptian HCV drug that costs just 1,527 pounds, the minister said.

Source : Mena