PREVALENCE for Hepatitis B in adults stands at 10 percent rate against a fair 4.4 percent in children.
By Kudakwashe Pembere
This was shown in the World Health Organisation Viral Hepatitis Scorecard released last Friday. According to the scorecard, a high prevalence rate was above five percent in the general population.
Despite the intermediate prevalence among children, Zimbabwe was placed alongside 13 African countries with over 100 000 children under five living with chronic hepatitis B. These countries include Angola, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.
“Dying of viral hepatitis in Africa is becoming a bigger threat than dying of AIDS, malaria or tuberculosis.1 Every day, complications of viral hepatitis-related liver disease, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, claim the lives of at least 550 people – more than 200 000 Africans per year. Yet, a new analysis shows that the disease remains neglected in many parts of the continent,” said the WHO bemoaning that over two million lives hang in the balance.
The new scorecard, to be presented at the first African hepatitis summit to be held in Kampala, Uganda, from June 18 to 20, shows that only three of the 47 countries were on track to eliminating the disease that affects one in 15 people in the region.
“This analysis is the first to track each country in the region and to assess progress towards the goal of saving the lives of more than two million Africans who may develop progressive hepatitis B or C liver disease in the next decade if countries fail to ramp up their efforts,” says Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The Zimbabwean government, in partnership with WHO and other various stakeholders, is working towards developing a National Viral Hepatitis Strategic plan (2019-2022) to bring the rising epidemic under control in the country.
During a stakeholder consultative meeting on development of the national strategic plan towards ending viral hepatitis in Zimbabwe last month, it was revealed that while mortality from HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria was on the decline, mortality caused by viral hepatitis was on the rise.
The analysis shows that 28 countries have developed a national hepatitis strategic plans for viral hepatitis; however, most are still in draft form with only 13 officially published and disseminated. WHO has been a major partner in the regional response with policy development and provision of technical and financial support as well as capacity building for a co-ordinated regional response.
Only 15% (7/47) countries are leading prevention efforts with national coverage of both Hepatitis B birth dose and childhood pentavalent vaccination exceeding 90%. There are major gaps in hepatitis testing and treatment with less than eight countries providing subsidized testing and treatment for viral hepatitis.
To end the epidemic by 2030, WHO recommended that there was need to champion political action for the development and funding of hepatitis programmes, coordinate community mobilization of social and religious leaders and the private sector. The WHO also notes the importance of promoting universal hepatitis B vaccine at birth and improved coverage of the three-dose pentavalent vaccination, which provides protection against 5 common childhood threats including hepatitis B.
The WHO also proposed advocacy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B in the context of the existing PMTCT framework, and adopt the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B and promotion government provision of hepatitis testing and treatment services.
