Hepatitis B infections in Kenya surpass HIV

NAIROBI, KENYA: The rate of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the country is currently three times higher than that of HIV, a study has revealed.

Head of the Kenya Medical Research Institute’s (Kemri) Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Research Programme, Elijah Songok, says statistics indicate that the prevalence rate of HBV has risen and surpassed that of HIV three-fold in a span of two years.

A nationwide research conducted last year revealed that out of about 150,000 people who donated blood, 1,200 were found to be HIV-positive while 3,000 were diagnosed with HBV.

Like HIV, HBV is also transmitted through sexual intercourse, contaminated blood and from a mother to her child. If untreated, HBV could lead to liver cirrhosis and other liver cancers.

“This should be cause for alarm, as similar high data is being registered among HIV infected persons, showing a rising prevalence of co?infection with HBV,” says Prof Songok.

Co?infected persons have an increased rate of liver disease, higher HBV and HIV viral loads, and poor response to anti-retroviral drugs.

The World Health Organisation recommends that persons who are co?infected with HBV and HIV should immediately be initiated into anti-retroviral therapy irrespective of their CD4 count.

HBV is 50 to 100 times more infectious than HIV and health workers who accidentally get needle stick injuries have a much higher chance of infection from HBV than from HIV.

“Approximately ten per cent of pregnant women and over 30 per cent of liver patients in Kenya are HBV infected,” said Songok.

Given that blood donors are a very highly selected population, researchers and stakeholders now contend that the prevalence in the general population may be much higher. It is, therefore, important that HIV infected persons also seek HBV testing, advises Songok.

In an endeavour to control the virus’ increasingly worrying trends, the Ministry of Health in conjunction with Kemri intends to create awareness through educating people about the dangers of HBV infections ahead of World Hepatitis Day marked on July 28th each year.

“We are planning to provide HBV testing and vaccinations and hold a two-day stakeholders’ forum to chart the way forward for HBV prevention, treatment and control,” he said.

HBV testing and vaccinations will be carried out at three locations in Nairobi. Those tested and found HBV-negative will be vaccinated while those who test positive will be referred to the nearest health facilities for management.

It is estimated that two billion people worldwide have been exposed to the virus; 150 million of these are chronically infected.

Majority of people infected with HBV suffer acute infection and clear the virus within weeks. However, it becomes a long term chronic infection for some and can develop into liver cancer.