Africa-Press – Namibia. A CUMULATIVE total of 8 092 Hepatitis E cases were reported nationally as of 30 January 2022 and out of these cases, a total of 66 Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) deaths have been reported nationally, representing a Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.8%.
Among the 66 deaths, 27 are maternal deaths, representing 41% of the total HEV deaths and 6.2% of all the reported maternal HEV cases.
These statistics were shared by the Ministry of Health and Social Services on the occasion of community clean–up day in commemoration of Hepatitis day.
“It is worth noting that the number of Hepatitis E cases continue to decline after the declaration of end of the outbreak. However, despite this achievement, we should not desert our public health measures as the risk for acquiring Hepatitis E is still amongst us. The presence of all stakeholders in today’s cleaning campaign, demonstrates that the Namibians continue to be committed in the prevention of Hepatitis E and other communicable diseases,” the deputy minister of health and social services, Dr. Esther Utjiua Muinjangue, said.
Speaking at the occasion, Muinjangue stated that the commemoration of this day is coinciding with the “Community Clean–Up Day” in partnership with a number of private and corporate organisations, as a rational to address the root cause of Hepatitis E in the community.
World Hepatitis Day takes places every year on 28 July to raise awareness and to promote global action on viral Hepatitis.
Hepatitis is a known inflammation of the liver. There are five main types of the hepatitis viruses – A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people globally and are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and viral hepatitis-related deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that during 2020, 296 million people worldwide are living with Hepatitis B; 58 million people worldwide are living with Hepatitis C; 1.5 million people were newly infected with chronic Hepatitis B and 1.5 million people were newly infected with chronic Hepatitis C. For hepatitis C, 25% of people have been diagnosed and 10% have received treatment.
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