GLoMeF set to vaccinate 50,000 people against Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’

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The Sunyani-based Global Media Foundation (GLOMEF) says it is set to implement a nationwide ‘Hepatitis Campaign’ to reduce the nation’s burden of liver diseases by 2030.
The purpose of the “Hepatitis Free Ghana 2030 Campaign”, according to Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer, GloMeF, was to eliminate the viral hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ spread.
That would be done through a comprehensive awareness campaigns, free screening and vaccination drive, and policy advocacy, thereby, improving public health.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Ahenu said the campaign would provide free hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ screenings to about 100,000 people and vaccinate additionally 50,000 people against the viral disease.
The campaign would further train 500 healthcare workers in hepatitis management and prevention protocols for enhanced capacity to diagnose, treat, and manage cases.
Mr Ahenu spoke to the GNA to commemorate the 2024 World Hepatitis ‘B’ Day, observed on July 28 annually and instituted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), to raise awareness of hepatitis on the theme “it’s time for action”.
He said statistics from WHO estimated 3,000 people died of liver-related diseases caused by hepatitis everyday with almost 90 per cent of patients unaware of their health status, saying 304 million people were living with chronic hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ globally.
“If this global trajectory continues, then the viral hepatitis will kill more people annually than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined by 2040”, Mr Ahenu stated.
He expressed worry that only 45 per cent of newborns received hepatitis ‘B’ vaccine within 24 hours of their birth in in 2022, while 1.3 million people died of chronic hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ within the same period.
Mr Ahenu, therefore, called for accelerated action on better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to save lives and improve health outcomes.
He expressed worry that despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, and decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates for hepatitis in the country had stalled, saying hepatitis diagnosis and treatment, both globally and in Ghana, continued to remain exceptionally low.
Only 10 per cent of people with chronic Hepatitis ‘B’ are diagnosed, of which only 22 per cent receive treatment while awareness creation remains low in Ghana.
Mr Ahenu said Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ were significant public health concerns in the country because viral infections could lead to severe liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer, if left untreated.
The prevalence of these infections is high, with an estimated 8-10 percent of the Ghanaian population affected by Hepatitis ‘B’ and about three percent with Hepatitis ‘C’.
The campaign would, therefore, focus on both urban and rural centers in the country, with emphasis on regions with high prevalence rates and with limited healthcare access, including Greater Accra, Ashanti Region, Northern, and Volta Regions.
Mr Ahenu said by targeting these regions, the project aimed to create a significant and lasting impact on the fight against the viral hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’ in the country and called from support from WHO and its partners and private entities for the implementation of the project.