The Ministry of Health, with support from its partners, is working to introduce a hepatitis B birth dose vaccine in health facilities to help curb the mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis. This follows the outcome of a survey conducted by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in 2023, which revealed that 8.7 per cent of pregnant women tested positive for hepatitis B, highlighting a substantial risk of transmission.
The Head of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) at GHS, Dr. Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, who made this known, explained that this initiative was part of the GHS’s commitment to combat the health condition, improve public health and achieve broader health goals by 2030. He stated that the full potential of the initiative would be realised if the overwhelming majority of babies were born in health facilities, and therefore, urged all pregnant women to deliver in health facilities to ensure their babies received the vaccine.
Dr. Amponsa-Achiano explained that hepatitis B and C could be prevented through education and vaccination, noting that fully vaccinated individuals did not need re-vaccination every 10 years. He said already, the GHS and its partners had stepped up campaigns to encourage people to get tested at approved facilities as part of efforts to step up the awareness campaign, given the steady rise in cases.
