Malawi seeks African help to eliminate hepatitis B by 2030
Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud urged African health ministers to aid in eradicating hepatitis B by 2030 in Cairo, Egypt, writes Abraham Bisayi.
Cairo, Egypt-Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud called on African health ministers for support in eliminating hepatitis B by 2030 during the 2nd edition of the 2023 Africa Health Exhibition and Conference in Cairo, Egypt, writes Abraham Bisayi.
Daud said that Malawi's health sector has been severely affected by the effects of Cyclone Freddy, leading to the destruction of hospitals and the loss of medicines that could have helped the country make significant progress in eliminating hepatitis.
"We need to get back on track and completely eliminate hepatitis by 2030," Daud said.
"But the effects of Cyclone Freddy have set the sector back again. I have urged the Egyptian government, through their Health Minister, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, to support us with medicines, and help us rehabilitate hospitals that were damaged by Cyclone Freddy so that we can easily improve health service delivery in Malawi."
Daud added that "to achieve the goal of eliminating hepatitis, we need well-trained and qualified medical professionals with specialised skills that can help address different diseases, including hepatitis.
That is why I have also requested African health ministers to support our medical professionals with training."
Dr Rabson Kachala, Viral Hepatitis Officer, acknowledged the EXCON as a success for Malawi's Ministry of Health through the Directorate of HIV, STIs, and Viral Hepatitis, following the knowledge, expertise, and technical skills on hepatitis elimination from the Egyptian Ministry of Health and other African academics, including the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"Hepatitis B prevalence was 8.1% in 2016 and is now 1.6% in 2023. According to data from the cancer registry in Malawi, hepatitis B caused 75% of liver cancer and hepatitis C caused 3% of liver cancer in 2018. We hope that through this conference, we will eliminate the disease by 2030, once the health sector has been supported financially and technically," Kachala lamented.
Political leaders from different countries, led by Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, issued a Cairo Declaration on the Elimination of Viral Hepatitis in Africa through joint health diplomacy and international cooperation for the elimination of hepatitis in Africa – a Call for Health Equity.