Hepatitis B epidemic spreads to Karamoja

MOROTO. Hepatitis B has now spread to Karamoja sub-region with Moroto regional referral hospital receiving 175 people weekly who undergo Hepatitis B testing.
Dr Filbert Nyeko, the hospital director, said out of 700 people who came for the test, 15 per cent had Hepatitis B.
“The disease is there and we need a serious collective effort to stop it,” he said.
Dr Nyeko said the hospital was considering opening a clinic to handle those who had tested positive to the disease.
However, Dr Nyeko said no death had been registered but suspected that some people could have died unreported in the villages.
He said Hepatitis B virus infects the liver. It can cause long-term infection called chronic Hepatitis B and over time, it damages the liver.

He said the virus spreads through contact with blood and body fluids of an infected person.
Other ways of contracting Hepatitis B is through sex with an infected person without using a condom.
Last year several youth in Karamoja failed to join military service after they were screened by the army medical team and found to have Hepatitis B.
Meanwhile one of the four Hepatitis B testing machines that went missing from Lira District health department several weeks ago has been recovered.
The machine was recovered in a private clinic owned by Lira district laboratory focal person after a police operation on Thursday.

At least four microscopes were reported missing after they had been delivered to the district by the central government to test Hepatitis B virus in Lira.
Lira District police commander Ezra Tugume confirmed the recovery of the stolen machine.
He said the proprietor of the private clinic, ADC Diagnostic Centre, Mr John Paul Byagamy, had been referring patients from Lira Regional Referral Hospital to test for Hepatitis B at his clinic on account that the referral hospital does not carry out Hepatitis B testing.

Receipt books found at the private clinic also “confirmed” that ADC Diagnostic Centre, which is opposite Lira government hospital, had been testing Hepatitis B at Shs50,000.
“The operation led to the recovery of government labeled drugs, Hepatitis B testing machine that was meant for a health centre IV,” Mr Tugume said.
“We are looking for the owner of the clinic to come and tell us why he was found in possession of government property,” he added.
Two people were arrested on Thursday and taken to Lira Central Police Station for interrogation.
Dr Patrick Buchan Ocen, the district health officer, said Mr Byagamy had been assigned additional responsibility as laboratory technician at Amach health centre IV.

“What puzzles me is how these properties reach the facility because whenever we receive consignments, we make sure we deliver them straight to the respective health centres,” Dr Ocen wondered.
The Ministry of Health estimates that 30 per cent of the population in northern Uganda could be infected with Hepatitis B virus. Lira and Dokolo are the worst hit districts in Lango sub-region.
Currently, about 286,000 people in Lira alone need Hepatitis B vaccine. However, government has only sent 180,000 doses enough to treat just 60,000 people.

Factbox

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
More than 686 000 people worldwide die every year due to complications of hepatitis B, including cirrhosis and liver cancer 1.
Hepatitis B is an important occupational hazard for health workers.
However, it can be prevented by currently available safe and effective vaccine.
Source: World Health Organisation

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