BENIN—Benin has launched an anti-hepatitis B campaign in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), delivering a birth-dose vaccine to safeguard newborn health and enhance access to essential immunizations.

This program is part of Benin’s commitment to its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), which places the country among 14 others in Africa making considerable progress towards eliminating critical diseases, including hepatitis B, by 2030.

In Benin, the prevalence of hepatitis B is 4.49% in the general population and 4.32% in children under the age of five, which is below the WHO’s endemic criterion of 8%.

According to current figures, more than 85% of newborns will be immunized at birth in 2023, up from 9.2% in 2020.

This outstanding accomplishment emphasizes the importance of childhood immunization as a critical tool in the fight against hepatitis B, a liver infection that can have both short- and long-term consequences, including a high risk of mortality.

According to the World Health Organisation, vaccination is the most effective way to stop the spread of the hepatitis B virus, especially given that infections obtained by children before the age of five account for 95% of the chronic disease burden.

Professor Sossa Edmond Gbedo, Coordinator of the National Hepatitis Control Programme at Benin’s Ministry of Health, stated that since 2020, every newborn received a free first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine in the delivery room or within 24 hours of birth.

This initial dose is followed by two or three more doses given at least four weeks apart.

Dr. Jean Kouamé Konan, WHO Representative in Benin, emphasised that systematic immunisation from birth is an essential component of the WHO-supported training program for frontline health workers.

“Training health professionals is one of the primary preventive measures against hepatitis B, crucial for breaking the chain of transmission and protecting future generations,” Dr. Konan added.

Between 2020 and 2023, 84 doctors, 97 nurses, and other health workers have undergone training, enhancing their capacity to implement the vaccination programme effectively.

Additionally, 87 statisticians and epidemiological surveillance managers have been trained to develop data collection tools and national surveillance guidelines.

With the availability of the free vaccine, newborns in Benin are no longer vulnerable to hepatitis B infection as long as mothers give birth in a health facility.

The significant progress in immunizing newborns against hepatitis B can be largely attributed to births occurring in health facilities under the care of qualified health workers.

Joint efforts to raise awareness and establish appropriate facilities have resulted in an estimated 77.2% of childbirths in Benin being attended by qualified health workers in 2022, surpassing the African region average of 71%.

Dr. Konan concluded that Benin is on track to meet the 2030 target for eliminating hepatitis B. The vision is to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases as a public health challenge for the people of Benin.

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