Ahead of the United States, China, Russia and Germany, the WHO confirms that an African country is the first in the world to maintain its gold level status on the path to eliminating hepatitis C.

The WHO Regional Validation Committee has officially endorsed Egypt’s progress following a comprehensive review of health data from 2023 to 2025.

Egypt’s success represents one of the fastest turnarounds in disease control ever recorded.

In just over a decade, this African country has reduced its hepatitis C prevalence from around 10% to less than 0.38%.

This dramatic reduction enabled Egypt to become the first country to achieve WHO Gold level validation in 2023, and its continued progress through 2026 puts it ahead of major economies such as the US, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany in meeting international health targets.

As stated by the WHO, Egypt’s sustained efforts mean that “Countless lives have been touched by Egypt’s sustained action against hepatitis, with millions protected from infection, families protected from the loss of loved ones, and an entire generation given the opportunity to lead a healthier life“.