• HOME
  • COVID-19 VISUALIZER
  • HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
    • Health
    • Mental Health
    • Public Health
    • Lifestyle
  • FEATURED
    • ENDOMETRIOSIS
      • THE SILENT KILLER: PART 1
  • Home
  • COVID-19 VISUALIZER
  • Get in Touch
  • Pages
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
Subscribe
Afya Watch
4K
161
0
3
Afya Watch Afya Watch
  • HOME
  • COVID-19 VISUALIZER
  • HEALTH & LIFESTYLE
    • Health
    • Mental Health
    • Public Health
    • Lifestyle
  • FEATURED
    • ENDOMETRIOSIS
      • THE SILENT KILLER: PART 1
  • Featured
  • Public Health

Hepatitis B Vaccination in Baringo

  • December 28, 2018
  • Afya Watch
  • No comments
  • 2 minute read

The County Government of Baringo has embarked on a vaccination drive as the number of people with Hepatitis B raises concerns. About 70,000 people have Hepatitis B in Baringo county. About 10 people are said to have lost their lives to the disease.

County health director Dr Kipsang Marach says the vaccination program is targeting 10,000 people in three sub counties with rampart cases including Mogotio, Baringo South and parts of Baringo North.

“The county is conducting massive vaccination of Hepatitis B after a big population tested positive,” said Marach.

The two who succumbed to the disease died from Hepatitis B related complications. They did not get vaccinated following the nurses strike that saw most facilities in the region close down.

At least 70 patients from Mogotio Sub County among them children  are said to have missed the full Hepatitis B vaccine.  Another 180 have defaulted.

He attributed the high number of defaulters to the prolonged nurses strike as most health centres and dispensaries remained closed. The strike, which took 5 long months has since ended.

According to Marach, tests will be conducted alongside the vaccination program so that those who have the disease can get the required treatment.

“Hepatitis B is rampant in parts of Loboi and Sandai but with the vaccination program, we expect to test and vaccinate more people to prevent infection of the disease,” Marach said.

 “Routine vaccination of Hepatitis B is being conducted in all health centers and dispensaries as a measure to contain the killer disease,” he said.

Hepatitis B is a viral disease spread through contact with body fluids of an infected person including blood.

Pregnant women who have Hepatitis B can pass the virus to their children during birth.

Sexual transmission can occur. Men who have sex with men, people with multiple sexual partners as well as sex workers are more vulnerable to the virus.

The virus can also spread through reuse of needles and syringes. You can be exposed to the virus during medical, surgical as well as dental procedures. WHO also warns that one can get exposed through tattooing. Simply put, contaminated blood will put you in harms way.

SYMPTOMS

  • Mild fever
  • Headache
  • Abdominal pain
  • Dark urine
  • Pain in the joints
  • General body weakness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Fatigue
  • Jaundice

Hepatitis B can either be acute (short lived) or it can be chronic which means it stays in the body longer.

When it gets to the chronic stage, it can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Share
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Afya Watch

Previous Article
  • Featured
  • Health
  • Public Health

It’s a Plague; Marburg Virus in Uganda & Kenya’s Fears

  • December 28, 2018
  • Afya Watch
View Post
Next Article
  • Health
  • Lifestyle

How to Cope With Back Pain

  • December 28, 2018
  • Anne Mawathe
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Public Health

World Cancer Day

  • Afya Watch
  • February 4, 2023
View Post
  • Public Health

Cervical Cancer and How Best To Protect Yourself

  • Zarannia Said
  • February 1, 2023
View Post
  • Lifestyle
  • Public Health

Watch Out for Smokeless Tobacco and Nicotine

  • Aggrey Omboki
  • October 10, 2022
View Post
  • Public Health

Smoking during pregnancy & an asthmatic child

  • Afya Watch
  • May 5, 2022
View Post
  • Health
  • Public Health

Infertility in Men

  • Afya Watch
  • April 26, 2022
View Post
  • Public Health

To The Men, Support The Fight Against HIV-Aids

  • Aggrey Omboki
  • April 13, 2022
View Post
  • Public Health

Kenya Lost Gains Made In Tobacco Control

  • Aggrey Omboki
  • November 3, 2021
View Post
  • Public Health

How Covid 19 is Strangling Access to Contraceptives

  • Aggrey Omboki
  • September 27, 2021

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe

Subscribe to get a healthy dose of our latest articles

Afya Watch
  • Crafted By StratHive
Engaged! Inspired! Healthy!

Input your search keywords and press Enter.