Worrying prevalence of hepatitis
Getting vaccinated against hepatitis B has never been a priority for Edith Djomou Njike. The need arose for this 26-year-old student when she was about to leave Cameroon. His trip to Togo, with a view to continuing his studies, is subject to vaccination against hepatitis. This experience contributed to a change in mentality towards the vaccine.
“I am a science student. But, I was not sufficiently informed about the importance of the vaccine against hepatitis B on health”, she admits, a few minutes after receiving her vaccine at the International Vaccination Center in Yaoundé.
“Since the introduction of the vaccine [contre l’hépatite B] in 2005, the prevalence is less than 1% in the generation that is vaccinated”.
“It was while following the procedure that I learned about the benefits of the hepatitis vaccine for human beings,” she adds. She says she feels a sense of relief and now feels “protected” after receiving her dose of the vaccine.
“This is the first time I have received a dose of this vaccine,” she says. “Hepatitis is dangerous. That’s why I did the screening. Today I took the first dose. The next one will be administered in a few weeks.”
Cameroon, a country of 27 million inhabitants, is one of the countries with high endemicity for viral hepatitis. 1.3% of the population suffers from Hepatitis C compared to 8.3% for Hepatitis B. The country’s Minister of Public Health attributes the high prevalence rate to ignorance and the adoption of practices and risky behaviors. To this end, he perceives the disease as “one of the most contagious” that exists.
“The global, African and national prevalence figures deserve the utmost attention,” said Minister of Public Health Dr. Malachie Manaouda. “We have a duty to act both on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis”.
In view of this situation, Dr. Malachie notes that the Cameroonian government “is aware of the need to sensitize all stakeholders, so that effective and efficient measures are taken to prevent and treat these infections”.
Late start of vaccination
A person with hepatitis B may have the impression of being in good health: the disease may go unnoticed, or, if it becomes chronic, lead to the development of liver cancer or cirrhosis. A person who has been infected remains infected and contagious for life.
“We do not yet have exact data on the causes of this pathology. However, we note above all the absence of means of prevention,” says Dr. Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula, permanent secretary of Cameroon’s Expanded Vaccination Program.
“Most patients who have had viral hepatitis B for a long time probably contracted it at an early age,” he continues.
“The number of people infected with hepatitis has increased. Cameroon did not have a national prevention policy until recently”.
Prevent mother-to-child transmission
Cameroon introduced the hepatitis B vaccine in 2005. The vaccine is given at six weeks, ten weeks and fourteen weeks of age to all newborns.
“Since the introduction of the vaccine in 2005, the prevalence is less than 1% in the generation that is vaccinated,” rejoices Dr. Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula.
“This means that by continuing to vaccinate the successive cohort of children who will be born, and above all by introducing the vaccine from birth, we will be able to eliminate hepatitis B in the coming years”, envisages the permanent secretary of the expanded program for the vaccination.
In addition, Dr. Shalom Tchokfe Ndoula reveals that the expanded program for vaccination also intends to introduce a dose from birth to increase it to four doses. “It is assumed that there can be transmission from mother to child, and that the vaccine at six weeks does not cover it,” he observes. “Therefore, by introducing the vaccine at birth, the transmission of the disease from mother to child can be prevented”.
In the same vein, the Minister of Public Health affirms that the government is resolutely committed to the fight against viral hepatitis in the country.
According to Dr. Manaouda: “The reduction of 82% in the overall cost of drugs for the treatment of hepatitis C and of 60% of that relating to hepatitis B, by the subsidy mechanism, confirms the will of the Head of State to democratize access to this care and much more, to bring it closer to the populations, whose demand is real and important”.
The Cameroonian Minister of Public Health adds: “These actions, although salutary, suggest the need to carry out others, particularly in relation to information, education and awareness on prevention and treatment. burden of hepatitis.
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