Egypt has become the first country in the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to meet the WHO target for hepatitis B control, a milestone achievement officially recognized during a ceremony held in Cairo on Sunday.

At the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar received a formal certificate from WHO, confirming Egypt’s success in achieving the benchmark for reducing hepatitis B prevalence among children and maintaining sustained vaccine coverage.

According to national surveys conducted between 2008 and 2024, hepatitis B prevalence among individuals under 60 has declined by 15% since 2015, while rates among children under ten have dropped by 50%. Notably, prevalence among children under five now stands at below 1%—the threshold established by WHO for hepatitis B control.