Rwanda has taken the lead in Sub Saharan Africa to eliminate Hepatitis C through a 5-year plan. The plan is a brain child of Rwanda ministry of health in partnership with the Partners in Health and The Clinton Health Access Initiative.  The HCV Elimination Plan was launched in a two-day symposium from 11-12 December, 2018, which involved different stakeholders such as civil society, government institution, partners and the public. At the launch, Health Minister Dr. Diane Gashumba said it is a task that the government of Rwanda was ready to take on.

“It's feasible to eliminate HCV in less than the planned 5 years, the Rwandans are aware, we have you partners but most importantly we have a people-centred leadership that cares about the community and it's going to invest whatever is possible to eliminate #HCV in less than 5 years,” said Dr. Gashumba.

Experts showcased how the HCV elimination plan will be achieved and some of the progress Rwanda has registered in line with fighting viral Hepatitis C.
“Today is just the launch but we started long ago, we are looking forward to not only campaign but to ensure that treatment and drugs are available, officially it's a 5year plan but we are looking to achieve it in two years,” said Rwanda Biomedical Centre Director General, Dr. Jeanine Condo.
“Rwanda is taking a leading role in Sub Saharan Africa to show that Hepatitis C can be eliminated. We are confident that Rwanda can eliminate HCV because they have done a lot in fighting epidemics like HIV,” said CHAI CEO Ira Maganizer.

According the elimination plan, over 4 million people aged 15 and above will be screened for Hepatitis C in a period of 3 years.

Meanwhile, through Mass campaigns, Rwanda has achieved a lot in fighting HCV.
“During Mass campaigns, more than 700 Rwandans countrywide were screened for HCV and over 10,000 people were treated of which 92% were fully cured,” said Dr.Sabin Nsanzimana, Head of HIV/AIDS,STIS and other blood borne infections at RBC.

Sofar the estimated number of people infected with HCV in Rwanda is 8 %. To address this issue, the Rwandan government has prioritized viral hepatitis since 2011, by establishing a hepatitis unit under RBC, installing a screening and viral load platform, and introducing Directly Acting Antivirals (DAAs). The government also further negotiated with private health insurers and Global Fund to cover HCV diagnosis and treatment. DAAs were introduced to referral hospitals in 2015. The government also trained 110 licensed physician specialists in HCV and decentralized HCV treatment to 48 facilities nationwide. 700,000 individuals were screened for Hepatitis C, and among them 9000 received treatment.  To scale up the work the work that has already been done, the national hepatitis program designed a five-year HCV elimination plan. Meanwhile all district hospitals in Rwanda give HCV treatment.

Hepatitis C is one of the world’s most common infectious diseases, where more than 71 million people worldwide are chronically infected. It has a very high prevalence with 1.7 million new cases each year, as well as a high morbidity and mortality causing 400,000 deaths each year, and most of its burden falls mainly on low or middle-income countries. The prevalence of HCV in Rwanda is not well documented but recent campaigns showed a prevalence of 8% among people aged 15 and above, and 15% among people aged 45 and above.