Over 91 million Africans live with Hepatitis B or C, which are the deadliest strains of the virus, according to a scorecard launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO).<\/p>\n
WHO, in a statement in commemoration of the World Hepatitis Day 2022, said the Viral Hepatitis Scorecard 2021 which analyses data from the African region but focused on Hepatitis B and C, both of which cause liver cirrhosis and cancer found that in 19 countries, more than eight per cent of the population were infected with Hepatitis B, while in 18 countries, more than one per cent of the population lives with Hepatitis C.<\/p>\n
It said in 2020, the African region accounted for 26 percent of the global burden for Hepatitis B and C and 125,000 associated deaths.<\/p>\n
” Hepatitis has been called the silent epidemic, but this scorecard is sounding an alarm for the region and the world to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must do better and stop this disease from stealing away our children\u2019s future. There is a safe and effective vaccine that offers nearly 100% protection against Hepatitis B, one of the deadliest strains of the virus. We must ensure that all African children are vaccinated within 24 hours of their birth and are followed up with two or more doses of the vaccine, said\u00a0 WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti.<\/p>\n
The scorecard finds that coverage for routine childhood vaccination against Hepatitis B is 72 percent for the region, well below the global target of 90 per cent needed to ensure that the virus is no longer a public health menace.<\/p>\n
” To turn the tide, hepatitis services must move out of specialised clinics to decentralised and integrated facilities where most Africans still seek care. More primary health care workers need to be trained to diagnose and treat the virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile there has been progress in making hepatitis medications affordable, still more needs to be done,\u201d Moeti said.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s World Hepatitis Day has the theme: \u201cBringing Hepatitis Care Closer to You\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over 91 million Africans live with Hepatitis B or C, which are the deadliest strains of the virus, according to a scorecard launched by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":94652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n