- AS Tanzania marked World Hepatitis Day yesterday, the latest statistics showed the country's viral hepatitis burden has declined, reinforcing government efforts to eliminate the disease as a public health threat by 2030.
The latest studies indicate that hepatitis B prevalence has fallen to 3.5 per cent from 4 per cent recorded in 2022, while hepatitis C prevalence dropped sharply to 0.1 per cent from 1 per cent, signalling progress in the country's efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.
The figures were released by Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Eliudi Eliakimu, in a statement issued to mark World Hepatitis Day, commemorated this year under the theme, "Hepatitis: Let's Break It Down," which calls for removing barriers to lifesaving hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment services.
"The government remains firmly committed to eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030," Dr Eliakimu said.
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He said hepatitis B remains the most common form of the disease in Tanzania and noted that Hepatitis B, C and D are transmitted through unsafe blood transfusions, unprotected sex, sharing contaminated needles or sharp instruments and from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy or childbirth.
To accelerate progress, Dr Eliakimu said the government has expanded Hepatitis screening and treatment services to district, regional, zonal and national referral hospitals while strengthening early diagnosis and referral systems at health centres and dispensaries.
He said free Hepatitis B vaccination continues to be provided to children through the national immunisation programme, while high-risk groups and pregnant women receive screening and vaccination services.
Public awareness campaigns have also been intensified through the media, social media and community outreach programmes.
Dr Eliakimu added that domestic financing has enabled continued testing, diagnosis and treatment for priority groups, including pregnant women, healthcare workers, blood donors and people who inject drugs, with hepatitis services increasingly integrated into other healthcare programmes.
He urged Tanzanians to seek early testing, get vaccinated, seek prompt medical care and complete treatment as prescribed.
Speaking to the Daily News, Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH)-Mloganzila, Dr Swaleh Pazi, said routine screening remains the most effective way to prevent severe complications.
"We continue to encourage the public to undergo early testing and receive vaccination to protect themselves," he said.
Dr Pazi said screening enables infected people to begin treatment early while those who test negative can receive the Hepatitis B vaccine. He warned that delayed diagnosis significantly increases the risk of liver cancer, which is often difficult to treat.
He said the hospital's liver and gastroenterology clinic receives about 100 patients every week, while more than 5,000 patients with liver diseases are under follow-up, with hepatitis B accounting for the majority of cases.
"Hepatitis B remains the biggest challenge among our patients. Many people are unaware they are infected because the disease can remain in the body for a long time without showing symptoms," he said.
Another Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at MNH-Mloganzila, Dr Tuzo Lyuu, said maintaining proper food and water hygiene, ensuring safe blood transfusions, undergoing regular screening and receiving the hepatitis B vaccine remain the most effective ways to prevent hepatitis infections.
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Meanwhile, Coordinator of Training and Outreach Services at Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH), Dr Emiliana Myovela, said unhealthy lifestyles, including poor nutrition, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and unsafe sexual practices, increase the risk of liver disease.
She added that advancing age also raises the likelihood of certain liver conditions, while men are more vulnerable to some live related complications.
Dr Myovela said the Hepatitis B vaccine is more than 95 per cent effective in preventing infection and its complications and is available at hospitals and health centres across the country.
