Hepatitis E cases rise
An education campaign for residents of Windhoek's informal settlements seems to have had little impact on the spread of hepatitis E.
The number of hepatitis E cases plaguing several informal settlements of Windhoek continue to rise, with 294 cases presenting with clinical signs at Windhoek health facilities since October last year.
The informal settlement of Havana remains hardest hit, with 121, or more than 41% of the cases, reported there.
Other informal settlements that are affected include Goreangab (72), Greenwell Matongo (9), Ombili (7), and Katutura (7).
Another 78 cases have been reported in 15 unspecified locations in the area, according to the health ministry.
Currently six patients are being treated at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital and are being monitored closely, health acting permanent secretary Petronella Masabane said yesterday.
Masabane added that the most affected age group is between 24 and 39. Roughly the same number of men as women have caught the disease. Five of the affected women were pregnant, including a fatal case in November.
The ministry confirmed that one miscarriage was reported recently by a pregnant woman with hepatitis E and that another mother was admitted to the acute care unit.
The outbreak, which claimed the life of a 26-year-old woman four days after she had delivered a baby in November, is spread by contaminated water.
A massive multi-stakeholder intervention was launched by the ministry in December, focused on education, testing and community outreach including advice on washing hands, sanitising and to ensure water is safe to use.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) risk assessment report published on Monday identified the poor living conditions in the informal settlements, where the majority of cases have been reported, as a key factor in the spread of the disease.
“These areas are overcrowded and have limited access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. Moreover, the holiday season will likely increase the movement of people within the country. All of these could be major contributing factors to this outbreak,” the WHO report stated.
The rainy season has also increased the risk, as “people often use rainwater or other surface water for drinking and domestic uses. This likely increases the risk of hepatitis E infection,” the report noted.
The report concluded that the same factors could lead to infection in other informal settlements, towns and districts with “similar poor environmental health conditions.”
The assessment found that the overall risk is “high at the national level and low at regional and global levels”.
The WHO recommended that the “number of latrines in different settlements should be increased to address the issue of open defecation. In addition, the waste management and the overall hygiene practices should be improved.”
In December, health minister Bernhard Haufiku confirmed the outbreak, with 26 patients being treated at the time.
By January 5, 167 confirmed cases of hepatitis E had been reported despite the launch of the campaign to contain the spread of the disease.
Part of the approach has been social mobilisation and health education with an emphasis in increasing access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities for the population at risk.
Communities are educated on maintaining healthy sanitation practices such as hand washing and boiling water before ingesting it.
Water purification tablets were handed out to areas struggling with access to clean and safe water.
Tests of water sources are also being carried out.
The WHO recommendations include ongoing interventions including the provision of antenatal counselling for pregnant women, improving housing conditions for those living in these informal settlements and supporting the improvement of health facilities and patients care.
Lastly, the report recommends that the local and national reference laboratory capacities should be improved for timely confirmation of suspected cases.
JANA-MARI SMITH
The informal settlement of Havana remains hardest hit, with 121, or more than 41% of the cases, reported there.
Other informal settlements that are affected include Goreangab (72), Greenwell Matongo (9), Ombili (7), and Katutura (7).
Another 78 cases have been reported in 15 unspecified locations in the area, according to the health ministry.
Currently six patients are being treated at the Katutura Intermediate Hospital and are being monitored closely, health acting permanent secretary Petronella Masabane said yesterday.
Masabane added that the most affected age group is between 24 and 39. Roughly the same number of men as women have caught the disease. Five of the affected women were pregnant, including a fatal case in November.
The ministry confirmed that one miscarriage was reported recently by a pregnant woman with hepatitis E and that another mother was admitted to the acute care unit.
The outbreak, which claimed the life of a 26-year-old woman four days after she had delivered a baby in November, is spread by contaminated water.
A massive multi-stakeholder intervention was launched by the ministry in December, focused on education, testing and community outreach including advice on washing hands, sanitising and to ensure water is safe to use.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) risk assessment report published on Monday identified the poor living conditions in the informal settlements, where the majority of cases have been reported, as a key factor in the spread of the disease.
“These areas are overcrowded and have limited access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. Moreover, the holiday season will likely increase the movement of people within the country. All of these could be major contributing factors to this outbreak,” the WHO report stated.
The rainy season has also increased the risk, as “people often use rainwater or other surface water for drinking and domestic uses. This likely increases the risk of hepatitis E infection,” the report noted.
The report concluded that the same factors could lead to infection in other informal settlements, towns and districts with “similar poor environmental health conditions.”
The assessment found that the overall risk is “high at the national level and low at regional and global levels”.
The WHO recommended that the “number of latrines in different settlements should be increased to address the issue of open defecation. In addition, the waste management and the overall hygiene practices should be improved.”
In December, health minister Bernhard Haufiku confirmed the outbreak, with 26 patients being treated at the time.
By January 5, 167 confirmed cases of hepatitis E had been reported despite the launch of the campaign to contain the spread of the disease.
Part of the approach has been social mobilisation and health education with an emphasis in increasing access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities for the population at risk.
Communities are educated on maintaining healthy sanitation practices such as hand washing and boiling water before ingesting it.
Water purification tablets were handed out to areas struggling with access to clean and safe water.
Tests of water sources are also being carried out.
The WHO recommendations include ongoing interventions including the provision of antenatal counselling for pregnant women, improving housing conditions for those living in these informal settlements and supporting the improvement of health facilities and patients care.
Lastly, the report recommends that the local and national reference laboratory capacities should be improved for timely confirmation of suspected cases.
JANA-MARI SMITH
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