Health outcome declines in Egypt and Ghana

In late July 2026, data from Egypt showed a sharp fall in age‑standardised cancer mortality, dropping from roughly 95,300 deaths in 2022 to 80,500 in 2024. The decline was driven by a 22.1% reduction in liver‑cancer deaths after a nationwide hepatitis‑C eradication effort and a 19% drop in bladder‑cancer cases linked to long‑term schistosomiasis control. Breast‑cancer mortality also fell 15% following a large‑scale women’s health screening programme.

During the same period, Ghana reported a decrease in new HIV infections and AIDS‑related deaths, with the 2025 national estimates showing a fall to 13,951 new infections and a 14% reduction in deaths compared with the previous year. Expanded testing, treatment and retention programmes were credited for the progress.

A week later, Egypt’s hepatitis‑C elimination campaign was highlighted internationally as a model for sustainable health transformation. The “100 million health” initiative had screened over 60 million citizens and provided free treatment to more than 4 million people, reducing hepatitis‑C prevalence to 0.28 %. The programme’s success, credited to strong governance, integrated data systems and local drug manufacturing, also contributed to the observed decline in liver‑cancer incidence and mortality. Egyptian officials announced plans to share the programme’s lessons across Africa, the Middle East and Europe.