Editorial by Ghanaian Times: Efforts to prevent childhood Hepatitis B laudable

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has an­nounced its intention to introduce a vaccine for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) to be adminis­tered to babies at birth.

The administration of the at-birth-dose vaccine, to be done within 24 hours of birth, is going to be made part of the country’s current childhood immunisation programme.

We stand by our convic­tion that the GHS is doing a yeoman’s job by always trying to address problems that would undermine the good health of the people.

While we would belabour the point if we make any attempt to chronicle the efforts of the GHS, we can also be found wanting as it will be difficult for us to paint the full picture of its efforts.

Based on their efforts over the years, we believe the leader­ship of the GHS would certainly carry through their intention to introduce the at-birth Hepatitis B vaccination.

We are elated at the move because the disease is a viral infection that can be acute or chronic and the chronic does great damage to the liver and eventually kills the patient.

The Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) spreads through direct contact with the blood, saliva, or other bodily fluids of the carrier and so sex is a major contact avenue for its spread.

For unborn children, the most common way for them to be­come infected is if they are born to mothers with the virus.

What is worrying about the HBV is that most people who are infected with it are unaware of their infection for many years because no symptoms show and can unknowingly spread it to others.

This means an infected moth­er can spread it to the unborn child, who would eventually grow and unknowingly infect others.

Hepatitis B is a major global health problem due to its dev­astation, including liver diseases and fatalities.

The WHO states that though most people will recover from acute illness, some people with chronic Hepatitis B will develop progressive liver disease and complications, which can be fatal.

However, Hepatitis B can be prevented with a safe and effec­tive vaccine usually given soon after birth with boosters a few weeks later and this offers nearly 100-per cent protection against the virus.

The move by the GHS, though long overdue, is there­fore significantly proactive because the development of chronic infection is common in infants infected by their mothers or before the age of five years.

Besides, it is important to note that the World Health Or­ganisation (WHO) says Hepatitis B infection acquired in adult­hood becomes chronic in less than five per cent of the cases, whereas infection in infancy and early childhood leads to chronic hepatitis in about 95 per cent of the cases.

On this basis, the WHO calls for strengthening and prior­itising infant and childhood vaccination.

Children are the future of ev­ery nation and nations develop only through the efforts of its healthy citizens.

Therefore, the attempt by the GHS to protect Ghanaian children from Hepatitis B must be commended as that is a strong assurance that a certain generation of Ghanaians would emerge among whom the dis­ease and its headaches would be absent.

We pledge our support for the GHS in all its efforts and prom­ise that once we are made aware, we would not fail in publicising its efforts to improve healthcare in the country.