Qatar is now one of the countries least affected by Hepatitis C as the number of people infected by the virus has been reduced to 0.8% of the population compared to 2% in 2010, an official of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) revealed on Saturday.

“A study, done in July this year, found that the incidence of Hepatitis C among the total population of the country is only about 0.8% which is one of the lowest in the world. More than 5000 people were involved in the study. It was 2% in 2010. We want to bring it down by another 30% by 2020 and eradicate it completely in the near future,” said Dr. Hamad Eid al-Rumaihi, director of Health Protection & Communicable Disease Control Department, MoPH.


Dr. Hamad Eid al-Rumaihi

Speaking on the sidelines of the National Symposium on Hepatitis C , Dr. al-Rumaihi stated that there are no waiting cases of Hepatitis C to be treated in the country. “We are referring all the cases to Hamad Medical Corporation. We don’t have any waiting list for treatment and a new case is treated within one week. We offer direct antiviral agent which is free of charge for all. It is a new treatment method which is an oral tablet to be taken for 12 weeks,” he continued.
According to al-Rumaihi, Hepatitis C cases were found more among people aged 45 and above. “It is more prevalent among male than female. While the incidence of the disease was 0.8 among the whole population, it was only 0.3 among the nationals. It is the 7th leading cause of death all over the world. The serious complications of undiagnosed cases namely liver cancer and cirrhosis, make it a critical disease to be detected early and treated,” he added.
Dr. Saad al-Kaabi, senior consultant of medical affairs and the head of gastroenterology and hepatology at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) noted that the present treatment is far more effective than the old ones. He explained: "It is a new treatment. The vaccine is an oral tablet and the cure rate is more than 90% based on the cases treated in Qatar. Earlier, the cure rate was only about 50-60%. We are encouraging all the patients to receive the new treatment.”
Dr al-Kaabi highlighted that there is a clear global strategy in fighting the hepatitis virus. “The strategy has four major areas. They are awareness, screening, treatment and follow-up. We are following all these in the country,” he described.
“The screening can be done at the health centres under the Primary Health Care Corporation. There is a specialised team for conducting the screening at the health centres. The confirmed cases are sent to HMC for treatment and they are given the new medicine,” he continued.
During the event an agreement was signed between HMC and Qatar Red Crescent Society for carrying out awareness campaigns about the disease. Moreover, 20% of the cost of the medicine to be paid by the expatriates, will be borne by Qatar Red Crescent Society for the next five years.