US to continue supporting Georgia in achieving elimination of Hepatitis C, B

The United States will continue to support Georgian health authorities in their goal of achieving elimination of Hepatitis C and B in the country, the US Embassy to Georgia said on Monday.

The Embassy released figures showing results of the latest Georgia Hepatitis Elimination Programme, with the progress report showing 2.3 million adults in Georgia having been screened for hepatitis C.

The number includes 96,000 patients identified with chronic HCV, with over 78,000 of them treated for the condition.

The nationwide serosurvey conducted in 2021 shows that the proportion of the population with chronic HCV infection decreased from 5.4% to 1.8%. For Hepatitis B, national coverage for childhood vaccination remains high confirming achievement for regional control targets,” the US diplomatic office said.

Georgia launched its large-scale Hepatitis C Elimination Programme in partnership with the American company Gilead in 2015, aiming to eliminate the virus by 2020.