I would like than the Daily Monitor for breaking this news about the outbreak of this deadly disease called hepatitis B in Arua District to the Ministry of health, the Local Government, the World Health Organization must respond with urgency and effectiveness to contain the spread through massive vaccination. Hepatitis B virus is a deadly disease because it transmitted by contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person – the same way as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV according research.
The GOOD NEWS is that you can protect yourself against hepatitis B by being vaccinated. The hepatitis B vaccine has an outstanding record of safety and effectiveness, and since 1982, over one billion doses have been used worldwide. The vaccine is reported to be 95% effective in preventing chronic infections from developing. Protection lasts for 20 years at least, no booster is recommended by World Health Organization as of today. Intermittent reports about the prevalence of hepatitis B in West Nile have been circulating at low key for a while. Many people in the villages have been reported to have died of the disease without the news hitting headlines in the national media. It is now time for government to intervene before the disease gets out of control! Considering the mobility of human traffic to and from Arua the disease will soon spread to other parts of Uganda and beyond. Sam Andema --- On Mon, 8/4/13, Charles Male <cdm...@gmail.com> wrote: From: Charles Male <cdm...@gmail.com> Subject: [WestNileNet] 60 Arua prisoners have Hepatitis B To: "Kobokonet Koboko" <koboko...@yahoogroups.com>, "A Virtual Network for friends of West Nile" <westnilenet@kym.net> Date: Monday, 8 April, 2013, 2:24 Aluma....you have said it all.... May it not fall on deaf eyes... We had a discussion on HepB on KKnet sometime last year and I beleive someoe indicated that the are vaccination programs available in Arua but the prohibitive factors were ignorance (lack of awareness) and cost. Dr Driwale, kindly update on the situation within your area of responsibility..... Would appreciate other input from the health care/public health professionals... Charles ++++++++++++++ West Nile Youth Initiative coordinator Yahaya Aluma asked all the MPs hailing from the region to present a bipartisan position to the parliament about the plight of the condition. “The Ministry of Health should come out with an expeditious plan to combat the disease which should include a mass immunization exercise throughout the region,” Mr Aluma said. +++++++++++++++ ARUA At least 78 cases of the deadly hepatitis B disease have been confirmed at Arua Prison. The most affected are the male inmates, the staff and their families. According to tests which were carried out last week at the main laboratory at Arua Regional Referral Hospital, of the 633 male inmates, 62 were found to be positive for Hepatitis B. While in the female section, of the 53 inmates tested, one was found to be positive. But no death has so far been registered as a result. And the virus has not spared prison staff members. Of the 103 prisons staff tested, 15 were found to be positive. When contacted for a comment, the Uganda Prisons spokesperson, Mr Frank Baine, declined to give details although he admitted that “the disease has been there.” An inmate who had completed his sentence, but declined to be named in order to speak freely, said there was need for sensitisation on health in the prisons. “It is true some of our friends were tested positive but the living conditions should be improved,” he said. Recently, a group of youth from West Nile Youth Initiative against Hepatitis B threatened to petition the Speaker of Parliament over the disease which they said was silently killing the youths. West Nile Youth Initiative coordinator Yahaya Aluma asked all the MPs hailing from the region to present a bipartisan position to the parliament about the plight of the condition. “The Ministry of Health should come out with an expeditious plan to combat the disease which should include a mass immunization exercise throughout the region,” Mr Aluma said. http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/60-Arua-prisoners-have-Hepatitis-B/-/688334/1742204/-/53fxqh/-/index.html _______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________
_______________________________________________ WestNileNet mailing list WestNileNet@kym.net http://orion.kym.net/mailman/listinfo/westnilenet WestNileNet is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. _______________________________________________
