Hepatitis C Elimination Program Cures 98% of Patients in Georgia

98% of the total of 45,000 Hepatitis C cases in Georgia have been cured, after taking part in the state-initiated Hepatitis C Elimination Program launched in 2015, with the help of the United States.

The statement was made by the Head of Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), Amiran Gamkrelidze, who called on people to undergo Hepatitis C free testing and, if positive, receive complimentary treatment from the state.

According to Gamkrelidze, 1,400,000 people underwent screening, some of them twice.

“Around 10-11% of people tested for Hepatitis C were positive. We send these patients for more serious tests, because not all cases of the disease are active or need treatment,” he explained.

Gamkrelidze added the Government wants to check the rest of the population of Georgia during the forthcoming years.

“This is a unique chance, because C hepatitis treatment is one of the biggest breakthroughs in recent years. It has become a curable disease. The population of Georgia should benefit from this breakthrough” he added.

The health initiative--Georgia without Hepatitis C--was launched nationwide in April of 2015, when the Government of Georgia and an American biotechnology company, Gilead, signed a memorandum of understanding. 

The project helps to reduce and prevent cases of Hepatitis C in Georgia. The main goal of the project is to stop the disease from contagion. The treatment is free of charge for all citizens of Georgia. 

By Thea Morrison