Wilfred Enow Agbor
Yaounde, Cameroon
Viral Hepatitis, a disease which causes fever as it attacks the liver is yet to be discovered by many Cameroonians as a serious illness. About 4.5 million people suffer from this disease in Cameroon, 13 percent suffer from Hepatitis C, and 10 percent suffer from Hepatitis B.
Viral hepatitis comes in A, B, C, D and E. A is less severe and B AND C as more severe. Hepatitis A and E are gotten from food and B, C and D are either gotten through sexual intercourse or bloodsheds.
Andre Mama Fouda, Cameroon Minister of Public Health
To give a serious attention to hepatitis just like malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS, the government of Cameroon has adopted different measures to keep her population aware of the disease such as scientific meetings, free screening and testing and safe medical care. Over 3,000 and 1,500 persons were screened in Yaoundé and Douala respectively through a government initiative that is sponsored by Hoffmann-La Roche.
The Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda, in a press conference held yesterday in his Ministry, insisted on the immunization of the population of Cameroon against hepatitis. The Minister’s expanded program on immunization will be offered freely to children less than one year old.
Ninety percent of cases of hepatitis C take a period of 12 months for treatment and the treatment is very expensive. To solve this problem the government has negotiated a thirty five percent reduction of the price with the Hoffmann-La Roche Laboratory. In this case, one Interferon molecule initially sold for 159,000 Frances CFA will be sold for 104,000 Francs CFA. Meanwhile the Ribavirine molecule will be free of charge.
To prevent and cure the nation from this dangerous disease, the Minister called “for a general mobilization of everyone, notably parents, opinion leaders, researchers in health sciences, learned societies particularly in Cameroonian network against viral hepatitis and the Cameroon gastroenterology society and health personnel.”
