A study published in The Lancet claims hepatitis C can be eliminated worldwide by 2030, but several improvements will have to be made to get there, Medscape reports.
What you should know:
1. For these goals to be met, the World Health Organization needs to implement several aggressive strategies, particularly in Egypt, China, India and Pakistan. These four countries contribute most new HCV infections.
2. Researchers said if these countries could increase their HCV testing and treatment efforts, the infection rate could be reduced by 80 percent by 2030, compared with 2015 levels. Mortality rates could drop by 65 percent by 2032.
3. To achieve WHO's goals, the world's countries would have to increase their HCV screening rates to 90 percent by 2030. Malta is the only country with a screening rate that high.
To read the whole study, click here.