During commemorations to mark World Hepatitis Day (WHD)—under the theme, “Eliminate Hepatitis,’’ the minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said the rate of transmission of the disease was now 10 times that of HIV.
The government yesterday raised an alarm on the rising trend of hepatitis in the country and the high cost of treating chronic forms of the condition which is known to affect 8 out of every 100 Tanzanians.
During commemorations to mark World Hepatitis Day (WHD)—under the theme, “Eliminate Hepatitis,’’ the minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu, said the rate of transmission of the disease was now 10 times that of HIV.
This WHD, she noted, was an opportune moment for the government to start implementing the 2016-2021 Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis as part of efforts to save people from the cost of the menacing disease.
During a press conference in Dar es Salaam, Ms Mwalimu said, for instance, the cost of treating Hepatitis C—one of the acute forms of the disease—was now ranging between Sh3 and 5 million. She said Hepatitis C has no vaccine.
For Hepatitis B, which can be prevented through vaccination, Ms Mwalimu said the government was only able to provide free Hepatitis B vaccine to children since the year 2003. But, she admitted, the programme was yet to be rolled out for people of all ages across the country.
“We, as the government, are now looking into ways of reaching out to the rest of the population. For now, a person who wants to access hepatitis B vaccine can do so in private health facilities in Dar es Salaam at the cost of Sh50, 000 up to Sh75, OOO per dosage,’’ she said.
“We’re now engaging stakeholders to see how we can scale up the Hepatitis B vaccine programmes in public hospitals,’’ she said.
“My hope is that the cost of the vaccine will soon go down to Sh 5,300 from the previous Sh22,000 because the Medical Stories Department is now procuring it directly from manufacturers,” she added.
She revealed that the government was now implementing a pilot project at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), dubbed the Hepatitis B and C Pilot project, to help patients who have already been afflicted by the disease so that they get free medical care.
According to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Prof Mohammed Kambi, Hepatitis B can spread through sharing hospital injections, practicing unprotected sex, being transfused with blood infected with the virus. “The best way to prevent it is to get vaccinated,’’ said Prof Kambi.
“But for the case of hepatitis A, a person can get infected if he/she drinks water contaminated with the Hepatitis A virus (HAV) or consumes foods containing the virus,’’ added Prof Kambi during a press conference held in Dar es Salaam to raise awareness on Hepatitis.
Data obtained from the government shows that out of 200,000 people who donated blood last year, at least 6 percent of them—12,000 people, were found to be infected with Hepatitis B.
Health Minister Mwalimu told reporters yesterday that it was still difficult for the government to get reliable data because not all people suffering from the problem get tested and known.
“We don’t have exact figures of people infected with hepatitis. A large number of those who are infected are diagnosed with the disease at a very late stage. Because of this, the disease is contributing to a large number of deaths in the country,” she said.
She noted that 16 to 50 per cent of the patients admitted at hospitals and diagnosed with hepatitis B are injecting drug users. For hepatitis D, she said the form of the disease had no cure yet. She cautioned people about using medicine without medical prescription and avoiding sharing sharp objects.
She warned blood bank managers across the country to make thorough tests for the blood before transfusing it to the patients.
Ms Mwalimu said, she has been receiving complaints from the public about blood bank managers in certain regions who provide blood that has not been fully screened.
Additional Reporting by Hellen Nachilongo and George Rodgers
