BACKGROUND: Egypt is the nation most affected by hepatitis C virus HCV infection, following an epidemic of historic proportions. ...The model was fitted to Egypt's Demographic and Health Survey data and to a systematic database of HCV prevalence data. RESULTS: The incidence rate peaked in 1966 at 15.7 infections per 1000 person years a period of time that coincides with the PAT campaigns and rapidly declined thereafter, beginning the mid 1990s. ...