Hepatitis E kills two more

The hepatitis E outbreak has killed two more people over the past two months, bringing the total death toll from the protracted outbreak to 61.On 24 December, a 72-year-old Swakopmund woman died from the viral infection after she was transferred from the coastal town to Windhoek for emergency treatment.On 10 January, doctors battling to save the life of a 48-year-old Walvis Bay man at Katutura State Hospital declared him dead due to the viral infection. The two most recent deaths were confirmed on Thursday by Emmy-Else Ndevaetela, the newly appointed incident manager for the hepatitis E team in charge of tackling the outbreak. The first person killed by the virus was a 26-year-old woman who died on 19 November 2017, four days after she delivered a baby. Most people with hepatitis E recover completely, and during outbreaks, the overall case fatality rate is about 1%, according to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).However, pregnant women and persons with pre-existing chronic liver diseases have shown a higher rate of risk and death, the CDC explained. Deadly To date, 24 of the 61 deaths involved women who had been pregnant or given birth recently, with the disease becoming the country's number one cause of maternal deaths. By March 2018, the death toll had risen to 10 people, and by July, it had doubled to 20.By the start of 2019, that figure again doubled to a total of 40 people dead from hepatitis E.During the next year, another 19 people died from the virus, bringing the total number of deaths from hepatitis E to 59 by 15 December.The two most recent deaths pushed up the number of fatalities to 61. In both cases, the virus was contracted in the Erongo Region, at Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.Namibia's hepatitis E infections affect the poorest informal settlements in the country's regions, which battle a lack of safe drinking water, sanitation resources and toilets.The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that hepatitis E is “common in low- and middle-income countries with limited access to essential water, sanitation, hygiene and health services”.More than 30% of people who have contracted the disease in Namibia to date are unemployed, and 5 355 are dependent on communal water taps, which are often scarce in the country's informal settlements. NumbersBetween February 2019 and this month, the total number of suspected and laboratory confirmed hepatitis E cases in Namibia has risen by 61.4%, from 4 467 at the start of February 2019 to a total of 7 210 by 26 January 2020. Between 2 December 2019 and 26 January this year, 303 new hepatitis E infections were recorded, according to the latest situation report.Moreover, health authorities indicate that the Omusati Region continues to report an increased number of hepatitis A cases, totalling 216 to date.The numbers could be higher but due to lack of reporting and testing, health authorities are unable to provide more accurate figures.Of the 7 210 laboratory, suspected and epi-linked cases, close to 60% of infections occurred amongst men, and 72% amongst the age group of 20 to 39 years old.JANA-MARI SMITH

Hepatitis E kills two more

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-06

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Hepatitis E kills two more

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-06

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