By Hassan Zaggi
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has charged countries to in Africa to make Hepatitis services available through what it described as strong Primary Health Care increasingly funded through domestic resources.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, gave the charge in a statement to mark the 2023 World Hepatitis day.
She insisted that Hepatitis testing and treatment interventions must be part of the essential package of health services delivered through integrated primary health care that addresses the needs of individuals of all ages (newborn, child, adolescent reproductive and maternal health care).
While calling for the scaling up of hepatitis B immunization coverage to reach the globally agreed target of 90%, Dr. Moeti urged all countries to work to introduce the Hepatitis birth dose.
“I encourage policymakers and partners to demonstrate political commitment to sustained and simplified hepatitis testing, prevention, and treatment as part of broader liver health and primary health care to achieve viral hepatitis elimination.
“I remind communities to take up hepatitis vaccination, hepatitis testing, treatment and curative services through all available health services,” she said.
The WHO Chief lamented that more than 91 million Africans are living with hepatitis.
According to her: “In 2019, an estimated 1.2 million new hepatitis infections and 125 000 hepatitis-related deaths occurred in the African Region.
“Deaths occur mostly among the young and productive segments of the population.
“WHO’s global hepatitis strategy, endorsed by all WHO Member States, and the Framework for an Integrated Multi-sectoral Response to TB, HIV, STIs, and Hepatitis in the WHO African Region aims to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90% and deaths by 65% by 2030.”
Explaining the mode of transmission of the disease, Dr. Moeti said: “Hepatitis B is commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery.
“Hepatitis B is also spread through contact with blood or other body fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections, or exposures to sharp instruments.
“Hepatitis C is spread through contact with the blood of an infected person by unscreened blood transfusions, sharing needles, and unsafe sexual practices that lead to direct exposure to blood.”
She noted that the WHO is currently supporting regional and national efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 by providing clear guidance for decentralized and simplified person-centered prevention, testing and treatment of viral hepatitis, including eliminating hepatitis B through birth dose vaccination (the day of birth or the day after).
“Despite the availability of diagnostic tools and effective treatment, more than 90% of people living with hepatitis in Africa do not receive the care they need, and less than 10% of the population has access to testing and treatment.
“This leads to progressive advanced liver disease, devastating financial burden, emotional distress and stigma. Testing and treatment, as a public health approach, remains the most neglected aspect of the response,” she stressed.
She, however, noted that a lot still needs to be done to reduce hepatitis-related deaths and infections in the African region.
In the case of children, she reiterated that the highest burden of hepatitis B infection in children below 5 years of age is seen in countries without hepatitis B vaccination at birth.
