Currently, around 1.4 million people in the country suffer from hepatitis B and all drugs and healthcare services for treatment of the viral infection that attacks the liver are fully covered by insurance, said Moayed Alavian, head of Iran Hepatitis Network. “Also, 18,240 people infected with hepatitis C virus receive antiretroviral (ART) therapy and among them 5,000 receive free-of-charge services,” ISNA quoted him as saying. ART therapy is the combination of several antiretroviral medicines. So far, 35,000 prisoners have been vaccinated and the Health Ministry plans to extend coverage to all prisoners by the end of the current fiscal year in March 2017.
