As new, simplified direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) have become widely available, the annual number of people receiving such therapy has risen dramatically. Nevertheless, only a fraction of those living with the virus worldwide have been cured.

Findings from a World Health Organization progress report on the global HCV epidemic were presented at the 52nd International Liver Congress in Paris.

An estimated 1 million people with hep C received DAA treatment in 2015, a figure that rose to 1.5 million the following year.

Egypt and Pakistan, the two nations with the highest prevalence of the virus, together accounted for half of those who were cured of hep C in 2016. Other nations that treated large numbers of people included Australia, Brazil, China, France, Georgia, Mongolia, Morocco, Rwanda and Spain.

An estimated 71 million people are living with hep C worldwide. Just 3 million of them have been cured thus far.

To read a press release about the study, click here.