Model Council of Ministers Call for Hepatitis C Awareness

By: Pakinam El Gohary
@PakinamElGohary

In an attempt to combat the spread of the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in Egypt, AUC’s Model Council of Ministers (MCM), in collaboration with the Ettamen ‘Ala Nafsak (Check Up On Yourself) initiative, launched an awareness campaign on February 26.

The event took place in Mary Cross Hall, and was attended by 150 students.

“Hepatitis C is one of the main problems in Egypt that we are trying to tackle,” said MCM’s General Manager Nada Tarek.

The spread of HCV dates back to the 1970s, when a large number of experts used unsterilized needles to cure Bilharzia patients.

Lack of clean drinking water, specifically in upper Egypt, has exacerbated the outbreak of the disease.

The campaign is a year-long project that aims to address the proliferation of the disease and find a solution with the help of students on campus.

Following an introductory video of the initiative, Professor Mohamed El Okaby from Helwan University delivered a speech outlining the aims of the initiative.

“Among every five HCV patients, only one is aware of his or her sickness. The other four remain unaware that the disease has taken over their kidneys. These individuals can easily transfer the disease to other people,” said El Okaby, who is also the general coordinator of the initiative.

In hopes to reverse that ratio, Ettamen ‘Ala Nafsak was launched in January in partnership with civil society organizations, such as the Egyptian Liver Foundation and the Asmona Foundation.

The campaign has also received further sponsorship by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Immigration Affairs.

Ettamen ‘Ala Nafsak chose Egyptian star footballer Ahmed Hassan as an ambassador for the campaign because of his widespread popularity, which exists far beyond his home city, Minya.

Minya is one of the governorates with the highest incidence rates of HCV, making up almost 15 percent of the total number of patients in Egypt.

“Although the Minister of Health is working hard on finding a solution for this epidemic, what makes us different as an initiative is that we go to the people themselves… Minya is not our end, it is just a mark for the beginning,” said Hassan.

A recent study published by the National Academy of Sciences revealed that over 500,000 people are infected with HCV in Egypt every year, making it the highest rate in the world.

Hassan’s presence attracted a large number of students, who, at first, knew more about his professional career than the cause he was supporting.

“I came here today because I knew that Ahmed Hassan will join us. I also heard that he is coming to raise awareness about HCV, which I know little about,” said Ahmed Samir.

“After realizing its implications, I am eager to join any sort of voluntary work provided through their Facebook page,” he added.

The MCM’s Tarek said that the organization is starting with the process of collecting donations and providing free checkup stations for students on campus.

While the virus does not have clear symptoms, on average, it takes from eight to 12 weeks for an HCV patient to fully recover.

“HVC used to be treated by a medication called Interferons, which did not heal the patients 100 percent. However, now we use a medication called Sovaldi or Ledipasvir that fully treats patients,” said heptologist Alaa Mohamed.

Last month, star footballer Lionel Messi visited Egypt as the ambassador of Tour n’ Cure, a medical tourism program by EgyptAir and medical company Prime Pharma dedicated to the fight against HCV as part of the year-long effort against the disease.

Additional reporting by Rania Yehia