Hepatitis B diagnosed among health workers

Embu County government has provided Hepatitis B vaccines to its health workers, after four of them were diagnosed with the disease within a period of one month.
The county department of health is targeting about 340 members of staff, reportedly prone to the infection, while the ultimate target is over 10, 000 people in the region.
While launching exercise Thursday, the county executive for health Dr. Joan Mwende said the initial target will be the support staff, who interact with patients on daily basis as they kept the facilities clean.
“The department has acted with speed since having four cases of Hepatitis B within a period of one month is not normal and it requires urgent intervention,” Dr. Mwende observed.
However, the county executive moved to clarify that there was no outbreak of Hepatitis B, but underscored the need to safeguard health workers and citizens, since if not checked, the disease can kill within a short period of time.
She further said the disease is transmitted through contact with blood or other body fluids, for instance during sexual intercourse.
“This disease is preventable through vaccination. Everybody is at risk of infection, therefore we urge all to seek inoculation against it,” she noted.
Dr. Mwende appealed to donors and other well-wishers to come on board and give a hand in acquiring requisite vaccines, since the stock they have was limited and not likely to meet their target.
She disclosed that the devolved unit was carrying out the project in collaboration with Moving Mountain, Kenya, a charitable organization which has assisted in securing the vaccines.
Chairman of Moving Mountain Gilbert Njeru Ndwiga said the organization has been working with Embu County for the last 15 years in areas of health, including polio vaccination, water and education.
Ndwiga promised to continue collaborating with the county government especially in securing Hepatitis B vaccines and appealed to other donors to come on board.
By Kimani Tirus