Reducing the prevalence of hepatitis in Cameroon has been at the heart of activities to mark the World Hepatitis Day.
The Minister of Public Health, Dr. Manaouda Malachie presented measures to accelerate the 2030 elimination plan for hepatitis in a press briefing at the Yaoundé Emergency Operations Centre on 29th July 2024.
According to Dr. Manaouda, vaccination is one of the surest ways of preventing the virus which accounted for 12.000 cases of hepatitis B and 3.800 cases of hepatis C in Cameroon in 2023. Among these cases were about 424 people who have developed cancer of the liver due to hepatitis.
“ This alarming number of cases have been caused by an increase in risky behaviors that favor infections. This puts more people at risks of being infected with this infectious disease,” Dr. Manaouda Malachie said.
More than 1.3 million deaths worldwide, caused by viral hepatitis were reported in 2022, according to the World Health Organization(WHO). This means 3,500 people die every day around the world from hepatitis B or C. WHO also reports that in 2022, 254 million people worldwide had hepatitis B and 50 million had hepatitis C.
Hepatitis Prevalence
“Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver that is caused by a variety of infectious viruses and noninfectious agents leading to a range of health problems, some of which can be fatal,” according to WHO.
There are five types of hepatitis, identified by the letters A, B, C, D, and E, and caused by viruses also identified by these letters.
Cameroon has an 11.2% prevalence of hepatitis B with the North region having 17.7%, the highest regional prevalence and the lowest in the North West region, 7%. Hepatitis C’s prevalence is 1.3% for age groups from 15-59 years. People aged 55-59 are the most affected by the disease. Meanwhile, the prevalence of acute hepatitis A and E remains unknown in Cameroon.
The national prevalence for hepatitis among people with viral hepatitis B is 10.5% with people aged 50-54 years being the most affected.
People at risk of being infected with hepatitis B and C include; health experts, people unvaccinated for hepatitis B, people who have had unprotected sex with a person infected with the hepatitis B or C virus, injectable drug users, people who received blood products before 1990, vulnerable populations especially those on hemodialysis, pregnant women, new born babies whose mothers are infected with hepatitis B or C, and people who have used contaminated sharp objects.
“The hepatitis situation is a call for all actors to put hands on deck to prevent more infections. Cameroon has adhered to vaccination as the choice of prevention, and other measures in accordance with the Global strategy adopted by WHO.We should be conscious of the importance of educating the public so that everyone will take the right steps to preventing the disease,” Dr. Manaouda Malachie said.
Eliminating Hepatitis
A national strategic plan has been set up to facilitate the elimination of hepatitis by 2030. It aims to integrate the fight against the disease into other public health programmes, and strengthen universal access to prevention and treatment services.
Some of the priorities regarding the fight against this disease include the need to reduce prevalence, ensuring no newborn is infected with hepatitis B and expanding access to treatment for existing patients.
To make this happen, 19 approved treatment centers and two dispensation centers have been created to improve patient care, expand access to treatment for existing patients, reduce prevalence and ensure elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.
During the press briefing in Yaoundé, Dr. Manaouda launched the Hepatitis Awareness month which will be marked by awareness campaigns on transmission, risk factors, and promoting voluntary testing and vaccination.
As part of measures to improve treatment of the disease in Cameroon, the government has reduced cost of treatment, covering 82% costs for treatment of Hepatitis C and 60% treatment costs for Hepatitis B.
Kathy Neba Sina
