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By Annonciata Byukusenge
Rwanda has reintroduced the Hepatitis B vaccine into the routine immunization program for newborns, with the first dose now given within 24 hours after birth. The move aims to protect children from contracting or later suffering from Hepatitis B, a liver disease commonly known in Rwanda as urushwima.
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection, and medical experts have shown that many people who live with the disease were infected by their mothers during childbirth. When infection occurs at birth, about 95 percent of affected children go on to develop chronic liver disease. This can later lead to severe liver complications, including cirrhosis (urushwima) and liver cancer.
The Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) has emphasized that vaccinating a child immediately after birth is the most reliable and effective way to prevent Hepatitis B infection.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 296 million people worldwide are living with chronic Hepatitis B. Each year, the disease claims over one million lives, mainly due to liver cancer and severe liver damage such as cirrhosis.
Data from Rwanda’s Ministry of Health indicate that the country has a relatively low prevalence of Hepatitis B, estimated at 0.26% of the population. The Government of Rwanda has set a goal to eliminate the disease by 2030.
All health facilities across the country have been equipped and empowered to administer the hepatitis B vaccine to every newborn within 24 hours of birth, including babies born outside health facilities.
RBC has called on healthcare workers, parents, partners, and the Rwandan community at large to work together to ensure that no child misses this life-saving vaccine and that every newborn receives it on time.
