As Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s executive board assesses starting an already-delayed rollout of a hepatitis B vaccination campaign across several African countries, the organization must consider with urgency the 500,000 lives it could save.
Before the sun sets on their first day of life, every baby in Africa faces a roll of the dice. Depending on what country they are born in and the circumstances of their birth, they may be fortunate and receive a vaccine for hepatitis B in the first 24 hours after birth. Most will not have that chance. More than 4 out of 5 babies born in Africa don’t get the shot. This leads to the possibility of acquiring hepatitis B at birth or shortly after, which can result in a life cut short by liver disease or liver cancer.
While health inequity in Africa is an enduring struggle, it is not an inevitable one. In the case of hepatitis B, effective and inexpensive vaccines should be readily available. They can be administered in the first 24 hours of a newborn’s life to stop the most prevalent means of transmission: mother-to-child. It is estimated that reaching WHO targets for HepB birth dose vaccination to attain goals for hepatitis B elimination in the African region could avert 500,000 deaths from liver disease in later life.
About the author
Dr. John Ward
Dr. John Ward created and directs the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination of the Task Force for Global Health. Previously, over a 13-year tenure, Ward directed the U.S. CDC division of viral hepatitis with responsibilities for viral hepatitis surveillance, prevention, and research. At the national level, Ward developed recommendations for hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination, hepatitis B and hepatitis C screening, and authored the first action plan for viral hepatitis prevention.
