Spread of Hepatitis B in children under 5, lowest in decades — WHO vanguardnews
The World Health Organisation says the global prevalence of potentially-deadly hepatitis B in children under five years dropped to under one per cent in 2019 – down from five per cent.
The theme for 2020 World Hepatitis Day– “Hepatitis-free future” – has a strong focus on preventing the disease which attacks the liver, one of the five main strains, among mothers and newborns. According to him, preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is the most important strategy for controlling the disease and saving lives.
He said WHO recommended that all infants receive a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth – preferably within 24 hours – followed by at least two additional doses. “Coverage drops to 34 per cent in the eastern Mediterranean region and only six per cent in Africa,’’ he also said.
“Even talking about hepatitis elimination would have once seemed a fantasy but new drugs have transformed hepatitis C from a life-long deadly disease into one in most cases can be cured in 12 weeks.”
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