Kazo: Residents urged to get vaccinated against Hepatitis B
In an effort to raise awareness about Hepatitis B, our reporter caught up with Mumbere Sam, the in-charge of Bahamagara Medical Clinics operating in Kazo Town Council, Kazo District.
Dr Mumbere explained that Hepatitis affects people in different ways; some may experience fatigue, stomach pain or fever, while others may not even know that they have Hepatitis.
A section of people develop serious health ailments, which include liver failure or brain damage.
According to the World Health Organization(WHO), Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
The Hepatitis virus presents in five commonly known strains: Type A, B, C, D and E.
All of them affect the liver but there are some key differences in origin, transmission, and severity of the disease.
WHO adds that the virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections or exposures to sharp instruments.
WHO maintains that Hepatitis is manageable and can only be preventable with vaccination, but there is no cure at present.
Dr Mumbere has urged people to avoid all the ways of contracting viral infections like avoiding unprotected sex with an infected person, constant testing, among others which are the most common cause of hepatitis.
Dr Mumbere has also urged people to vaccinate noting that Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccines that are safe, available and effective.
WHO estimates that Hepatitis B affects approximately 296 million people, including over 6 million children under the age of 5 and it contributes to an estimated 820,000 deaths every year.
