HEPATITIS
C - SCI & TECH
News: Egypt is racing to eliminate
hepatitis C
What's
in the news?
●
On October 9, WHO announced that Egypt had
made “unprecedented progress” towards eliminating hepatitis C.
Key
takeaways:
●
According to the WHO, Egypt became the first country to achieve “gold tier” status on the
path to elimination of hepatitis C as per the global health body criteria.
Hepatitis
C:
●
Hepatitis C is a viral infection that primarily affects the liver. It is a leading
cause of liver disease, including cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver
cancer.
Causal
Organism:
●
It is caused by the hepatitis C virus
(HCV).
Transmission:
●
The virus is transmitted through contact with contaminated blood, most commonly
through:
○
Sharing needles and other equipment for
drug use is a common mode of transmission.
○
Inadequately sterilized medical equipment,
such as needles and syringes, can transmit HCV.
○
Healthcare workers are at risk if they are
accidentally stuck with a needle that has infected blood.
○
Pregnant women with HCV can transmit the
virus to their babies during childbirth, though this is not common.
●
It is not
sexually transmitted unlike Hepatitis B.
Symptoms:
●
Many people with hepatitis C do not
experience any symptoms, especially in the early stages. When symptoms do
occur, they can include Jaundice
(yellowing of the skin and eyes), abdominal pain, Loss of appetite, Nausea and
vomiting, etc.
●
It can lead to serious complications,
including scarring of the liver tissue, which can lead to liver failure.
Treatment:
●
Direct-acting
antiviral medicines (DAAs) can cure more than 95% of persons
with hepatitis C infection, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low.
●
There is no known vaccine for Hepatitis C.