The fight against hepatitis B infection continues as Mumbies Foundation is urging the general public to support in dealing with the viral disease.
As a Non-Governmental Organisation, Mumbies Foundation has for sometime now contributed immensely to the fight against the deadly disease with the support from the Effutu lawmaker, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
Financial Support
However, the quest to help deal with the disease comes with many challenges with the major one being financial strength.
It is in line with this that the Foundation is seeking for financial assistance to raise $25,000.00 dollars to help deliver on its mandate of ensuring that hepatitis B infection is minimised if not completely eradicated in the coming years.
The money is expected to be used for the purchase of a hepatitis B viral load testing machine, test kits and vaccines as well as to be able to offer free services to people.
The financial support is also targeted to save over 200 new born babies from liver cancer and mother-to-child infections, which seems to be a major challenge in dealing with the disease.
Project Manger for Mumbies Foundation, Israel Adorbley is, however, urging all cooperate bodies, companies as well as other bodies to come on board to raise the needed funds needed for the operations of the NGO in delivering on its mandate.
Genesis of Mumbies Foundation
This project became necessary because in 2019, ISRAEL ADORBLEY, a professional nurse at a rural clinic was moved by the plight of a pregnant woman in a rural community who visited the facility for ANC services. She tested positive to Hepatitis B and was unaware of her disease hence was referred to an urban hospital for management after been educated on Hepatitis B and the measures to take to prevent her baby from contracting the disease. But few months down the lane, when met with her newborn, sadly said she was asked to purchase Hepatitis B Immune Globulin to vaccinate her newborn but couldn’t afford the COST of the immunoglobulin to vaccinate her newborn.
This sad incident prompted Him to seek for support from the Member of Parliament of Effutu Constituency, Hon Alexander Afenyo Markin who immediately agreed to provide any needed support that will help to prevent people from becoming a victim of the disease.
Survey
Hon Alex Afenyo, the Effutu lawmaker then funded a research and sensitisation program to determine the prevalence of the disease in the Municipality. 2,106 people were tested for HBsAg across Eight (8) rural communities. Of the number, 178 representing 8.4% tested postive.These people included pregnant women, school children, the aged and the youth forming the bulk percentage with 78% tested positive. Strangely, the majority of those tested positive were unaware of their status and were ignorant about Hepatitis B.
This outcome was quite shocking because with this figure if care is not taken a lot more people in the catchment area will be infected with the virus especially the newborns of the infected pregnant women are highly at risk.
It is upon this background this foundation was established to help minimize Hepatitis B spread if not eradicate the disease.
Our main concern have been that mother to child transmission of Hepatitis B is the most common means of disease spread in endemic areas such as our place of focus for this project.
Cost of Treatment
Access to the vaccine which helps prevent mother to child transmission that is Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (HBIG) and Hepatitis B monovalent vaccine is a huge challenge and costly.
Marginalized pregnant women in rural communities are not able to afford these vaccines hence exposes these innocent newborns to risk of contracting the disease at birth. And so we wish to draw the Attention of Government, International communities, philanthropists to deem it important and as a matter of urgency come to the aid of our cause to curb the spread of Hepatitis B in the Effutu municipality and beyond and ultimately contribute to WHO elimination target of viral Hepatitis by 2030
We believe assisting these vulnerable pregnant women to access these vaccines for their newborns to save these newborns from contracting the disease is a laudable cause to saving the future which is the motto of the foundation. Ghana is classified as one of the endemic regions of this silent worldwide pandemic with estimated 3-4.5million people chronically infected with the disease.
The causes of contracting the virus in Ghana is not different from that of the outside world such as: Unprotected sex with infected people, Mother to child transmission during delivery, contact with contaminated blood and other bodily fluids.
It is also a major contributory factor to the primary cause of liver cancer and other liver complications.
Going Forward
Mumbies Foundation since then have screen many pregnant women and many others within the Effutu municipality with the support of the Member of Parliament, Hon. Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
There have also been able to intensify public education for the people on the disease which seems not to be known to them as a dangerous one and needs regular attention.
The Winneba Central prison was not left out as officers and inmates have been screened after the foundation donated food items and toiletries to them with the support of the MP.
Over 400 residents of Winneba were screened on 28th July, 2022 during the World Hepatitis B day celebration held globally.
Dr. Akwasi Bota, Medical Superintendent of the Effutu Municipal Hospital has emphasied on the need to intensify awareness of the disease because it is more dangerous than even HIV and the other known diseases we may think of.
He was, however, worried that not much is been done about the disease and appealed to government and other stakeholders to take serious look at hepatitis B.
Hon. Afenyo-Markin, the MP for the area and deputy majority leader last week made a statement on the disease in Parliament and even called for its priotisation.
He also called for discussions to enroll hepatitis B onto the national health insurance scheme to enable the needy have easy access to testing and vaccines for free as done to HIV/AIDs patients.
Office Apartment
In order to work efficiently, Mumbies Foundation has acquired an office complex at Essuekyir-Winneba to attend to all cases that may be reported to them.
The office complex was officially opened for operations on Friday, February 17, 2023 with the people in Effutu and beyond urged to patronise it services.
Appreciation
Mr. Israel Adorbley commended Hon. Afenyo-Markin for his continuous support and commitment to the fight against the disease since 2019.
Mr. Adorbley was optimistic the MP who is also the Patron of the NGO would help facilitate the course to ensure it raise the needed amount to help in tackling the disease.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
