Hepatitis B infection is on the rise in West Pokot and the rate is alarming, the county has warned.
A report released by the Health ministry last month revealed that out of 100 tests, 13 people returned positive results. The disease is prevalent in North Pokot subcounty.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause acute and chronic disease. The virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person.
In the past four years, at least 60 cases cases have been reported in the county annually.
Last year, four health workers were among those diagnosed with the disease. One of them was among three people who died. They did not get medical care.
In Lelan, South Pokot, two residents died. They were among nine people were infected
The county government has urged residents to report any cases of the virus to the nearest health centres.
On Monday, governor John Lonyangapuo said most patients seek medical care at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, about 300km away.
“We’ve vaccinated all healthcare workers and county staff . We want to move to the hotspots,” he said.
Health and Sanitation executive Geoffrey Lipale said vaccination will help fix the problem before it gets out of hand.
“The disease is dangerous. The rate at which it’s spreading is alarming,” he told the press in Kapenguria.
Lipale urged the national government to support the vaccination drive. The county has released 4,032 doses of vaccines.
“There is a need to screen more people and vaccinate them,” he said.
Lipale blamed lack of awareness of the causes and treatment options for the spread. The county will organise campaigns to educate residents so they know the dangers of the disease, how it spreads and how it can be treated and prevented.
“We are currently mapping out affected areas in Chepareria Kacheliba, Alale, Miskwony and Kodich ahead of vaccination. We call on residents to manage the environment by disposing of faeces in toilets, living in ventilated rooms and using clean drinking water,” Lipale said.
“The most affected areas are North Pokot, Central Pokot and West Pokot. We want to stop the spread,” he said. He expressed concerns that the areas are remote and have inadequate health personnel, making it difficult to hasten the campaign. They border Uganda and South Sudan.
“Residents are also unable to reach the hospitals because of lack of transport and some have no idea of what they are suffering from,” he said.
“Sometimes, we only get to learn someone is suffering from Hepatitis B when it is too late.”
According to the WHO, about 257 million people live with the disease across the world. In 2015, it resulted in 887,000 deaths.
It adds that Hepatitis B prevalence is highest in its Western Pacific region and the African region, where 6.2 per cent and 6.1 per cent, respectively, of the adult population is infected.
In its Eastern Mediterranean region, South-East Asia and the European region, about 3.3 per cent, two per cent and 1.6 per cent of the general population is infected, respectively. In the WHO region of the Americas 0.7 per cent of the population is infected.