World Hepatitis Day: Over 90million living with Hepatitis in Africa, says WHO

By Doosuur Iwambe, Abuja

More than 90 million people in the African region are living with hepatitis, accounting for 26% of the global total, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

In her message to commemorate the 2021 World Hepatitis Day with the theme; “Hepatitis can’t wait”, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti said, it was unfortunate that at least 124,000 Africans die every year from the consequences of undetected and untreated hepatitis.

She further revealed that about 4.5 million African children around the world, under the age of five, were infected with chronic hepatitis B, reflecting an enormous 70 per cent of the global burden in that age group.

‘’Around 4.5 million African children under five years old are infected with chronic hepatitis B, reflecting an enormous 70% of the global burden in this age group.

The global target of less than 1% incidence of hepatitis B in children under 5 years has been reached, but the African Region is lagging behind at 2.5%.

‘’Most of these cases could be prevented by eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the disease, during or shortly after birth and in early childhood. Key interventions against hepatitis B include vaccination at birth and in early childhood, screening pregnant women, and providing timely treatment.

‘’So, in the WHO African Region, we are urging especially that “mothers can’t wait.”

‘’We are encouraging countries to integrate the Hepatitis B PMTCT in the Ante-Natal Care package together with the HIV and Syphilis PMTCT program’’, she said.

Moeti who further said that most of such cases could be prevented by eliminating the Mother-To-Child Transmission of the disease, during or shortly after birth and in early childhood called on countries to integrate the hepatitis B Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programmes in the ante-natal care package together with the HIV and Syphilis PMTCT programme.

‘’Going forward, as WHO we are seeking to integrate hepatitis B interventions into antenatal care services.

We also want to strengthen collaboration with key partners, such as the Organization of African First Ladies for Development, which have championed progress towards a HIV-free generation. By expanding programmes to incorporate hepatitis, action can be quickly scaled-up.

‘’So, this World Hepatitis Day, I urge all stakeholders in maternal and child health to consider how hepatitis can be integrated into existing initiatives such as the First Ladies “free to shine” initiative which is working in countries for an AIDS-free generation in Africa.

‘’Health systems also play vital roles in preventing transmission by making sure blood donations are screened and that syringes are only used once and then safely disposed’’, she added.

She called on individuals to seek testing and treatment for hepatitis and to learn more about the disease, to end to what she described as the silent epidemic.