By Steven Enatu
KUMI
Kumi District in the Eastern region of Uganda has registered a 4.1% prevalence of Hepatitis B, something that has got scientists worried.
This was revealed on Friday, 2nd August, 2024 during the World Hepatitis Day for Uganda celebrations held at Kumi Boma ground.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Emmanuel Ongala, the District Health Officer Kumi District said Uganda has 1.1m hepatitis B patients and 356,000 cases of hepatitis C today.
“Prior to the event, Kumi tested 7110 community members and out of this, 300 tested positive to Hepatitis B. This indicates a prevalence of 4.1%,” he said.
Dr. Emmanuel Ongala, the District Health Officer Kumi District said the number is distributed within the whole district whose samples have been taken to the central public health laboratory Kampala to ascertain who qualifies to be enrolled on treatment.
“We base on several tests like viral load, if it’s high we enroll you on treatment and we also compare your blood count and your liver function. We calculate if you meet certain figure we enroll you on treatment,” he explained.
Some hepatitis patients have mild symptoms that their body can fight and they become normal according to scientists.
“We are also receiving supplies very soon from NMS to make sure all our clients are tested. So, as a district, we shall continue with interventions geared at eliminating Hepatitis. One of them is ensuring that all our newly born children receive the hepatitis vaccine at birth,” he said.
Dr Ongala said that it’s been proven infection at birth is more severe and can lead to cancer in future. The screening of children shall be enrolled at all health centers. He called upon the community in the area to embrace testing for Hepatitis as the district has over 30,000 kits for carrying out tests.
Meanwhile, the Hepatitis Aid Organization has urged the government, specifically through the Ministry of Health, to consider augmenting the budget allocation dedicated to the eradication of hepatitis in Uganda.
Emmanuel Lutamaguzi, the Executive Director of the Hepatitis Aid Organization and an individual living with hepatitis B, raised this plea at this year’s hepatitis b celebration in Kumi.
Lutamaguzi highlighted that the funding allocated to the fight against hepatitis in Uganda has remained at 10 billion Shillings since 2015, despite the escalating burden within the community.
“In 2019, we had the first African hepatitis summit and we made a commitment to support hepatitis C through the Egyptian government. As a civil society person, I would really push that we do something about the program; hepatitis C is curable. With the budget cuts, we need to do advocacy for increased budgetary allocation towards Hepatitis. The last funding allocated has been the same for close to 10 years now,” Lutamaguzi appealed.
He said achieving the UN commitment of eliminating Hepatitis by 2030 will be undermined if domestic funding is limited.
Dr Charles Olaro, the Director Curative Care at the Ministry of Health noted that the number is concerning since the country launched the vaccination in 2016. In 2000, government also launched the vaccination of new Borns. With this, Dr Olaro noted that they wouldn’t expect such statistics in Uganda.
Prof Dr. Ponsiano Acama attributed the high prevalence of hepatitis in the region to high consumption of alcohol and cultural practices.
He said the effects of alcohol in the liver are similar to the effects of viral Hepatitis.
In his key note address, he said some people deaths are as a result of alcohol related Hepatitis rather than viral Hepatitis. Viral hepatitis is caused by five types of hepatitis. A,B,C,D and E.
Hepatitis A and E is transmitted in the same way cholera spreads.
Eating contaminated food and drinks. The two cause acute infection but are not chronic to the level of damaging the liver.
Whereas B,C and D cause chronic diseases and are transmitted the same way HIV/AIDS is spread. Through sexual intercourse, sharing sharp objects, blood transfusion which is rare in Uganda.
A person with hepatitis B may end up with cirrhosis leading to liver cancer or liver failure and death.
However Hepatitis B and D are intertwined and D survives on B.
In the greater Northeastern, cultural and traditional norms are the common ways through which Hepatitis B is spread according to Prof Dr Ocama.
Practices like the traditional mode of treatment at childhood when a child gets what is termed the first episode of diarrhea, a traditionalist is sought to remove the burning tool and the same instrument he or she uses is what shall be used on another child and if one has hepatitis B, then it will be spread to the other.
Another form of cultural practices is treatment of pneumonia in children where a traditionalist removes fat globin in the chest of the child allegedly that its the cause of pneumonia and ends up using the same object on another child. If one had hepatitis B in this process, it means the infection will spread. And also tribal markings among some tribes like the Karamojongs. He strongly condemned these cultural practices.
Friday’s commemoration of world Hepatitis day for Uganda at Kumi Boma ground also marked a significant stride in the fight against hepatitis as the National viral Hepatitis Prevention and Control Strategic Plan was also launched in remarkable event presided over by the state minister for general duties ministry of health Hannifah Kawoya, Director curative care ministry of health Dr Charles Olato amongst others.
This articulates what government intends to do both at central and at district with much emphasis on prevention and treatment.
Treatment of hepatitis is similar to that of HIV/AIDS.
World Hepatitis B day was held under the theme eliminating Hepatitis, hepatitis can’t wait, It’s time for action.
