By ESTHER NG’ANDU-
THE Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) is engaging the Ministry of Health to see how it can implement a national wide scaling up vaccination programme against Hepatitis B virus for all health workers countywide.
Hepatitis B is a deadly virus that affects the liver and can cause acute and chronic diseases and it has been identified as one of the viruses in which health workers are at high risk of contracting it.
CIRDZ recently conducted a survey on the virus on health care workers in Kalulushi on the Copperbelt from April to August last year and a total of 641 health workers were screened out of which 523 were vaccinated after being found to be highly at risk of being infected.
This came to light yesterday at a study dissemination meeting to publicise the results following a survey conducted where it was also discovered that the health workers had little knowledge on the prevention and vaccination of the virus.
CIRDZ research fellow under the vaccine research unit Michelo Simuyandi said a total of 523 health workers in Kalulushi had been vaccinated against the virus after being identified out of the 641 that were screened.
Mr Simuyandi said following the study and revelations found on the ground, it was important that Government comes up with a mechanism in which it can roll out the vaccination programme to reach out to all health workers countywide.
“Following the study we carried out on Hepatitis B virus, we have come to a conclusion as an organisation that Government needs to see how it can implement the vaccination programme to reach out to all health workers. We are now engaging them on this,” he said.
He said the 523 vaccinated health workers were identified to be at great risk and after being vaccinated, they were at 99 per cent protection status against the virus.
Mr Simuyandi said during the project, all the 641 health personnel engaged did not know their hepatitis status and had continued to go about work.
Mr Simuyandi said other findings during the course of the survey were that the health system had limited trained personnel in the virus management and accessibility, awareness and affordability of the vaccine was not known by workers.
He recommended that there should be need for key stakeholders to invest in sensitisation and training of health care workers and that those trained must be able to provide the virus clinical services to the public.
He added that the virus among health workers remains a significant occupational hazard despite the availability of an effective vaccine which offers 95 per cent protective efficacy.
And Copperbelt acting Provincial health director Charles Sakulanda called for actualisation of health studies that were usually conducted to ascertain progress in the health sector.
“Doing a study is one thing and following up with recommendations is another however many studies have been conducted including on Hepatitis B but nothing has been actualised, we need to work on this and see the way forward to help enhance the health sector,” he said.