The Prevalence of Hepatitis C Infection among Kafr El-Sheikh University Students after Egypt's Successful National Eradication Campaign

Abstract

Background and study aim: Egypt had the highest worldwide prevalence of the hepatitis C virus during the last few years. The aim of our research was to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus among college students at Kafr El-Sheikh University after mass treatment of Egyptian population.Patients and Methods: Six thousand students were enrolled in this research. The data were taken, including exposure to risk factors of hepatitis C infection, family history of hepatitis C, and the history of previous treatment of hepatitis C. All students were tested for hepatitis C virus antibody. HCV‐RNA by polymerase chain reaction was performed for students with detectable hepatitis C virus antibody.Results: The mean age of the studied group was 19.41 ± 1.23 years. In total, 4356 (72.6%) were females and 1644 (27.4%) were males. Two students (0.03%) had positive hepatitis C virus antibody with undetectable HCV RNA. They were two females aged 18 and 21 years old. Both had a history of dental procedures and a family history of hepatitis C infection. However, one of them was previously treated for hepatitis C with direct-acting antiviral drugs.Conclusion: There was low prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection among the new students in Kafr Elsheikh University, and this might be a result of generalized decline of hepatitis C virus infection prevalence in Egypt due to successful control.