Need For Student Protection against Hepatitis B in Developing Countries

Worldwide 2 billion people are exposed to hepatitis B infection with 65 million infected in sub-Saharan Africa but Uganda with 10% national prevalence of the infection.

2013, was the year when I had my first clinical experience as a third year Bachelor of Science in Nursing student at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. By then, I was the president Mbarara University Nursing Students Association (MUNSA) hence the executive head for student nurses at the university. 

It was around 12pm during a clinical practice when blood splashed onto 5 of us at the emergency ward, Mbarara Regional Referral hospital in western Uganda. This was a horrific nightmare for we didn’t know the infection status of the patient. We all scuttled to a tap, opened it, and obtained some water which we used to wash off blood from our faces. Some went further to rinse for they felt they had tasted some portions. As the MUNSA president, I took the initiative to address the pressing problem and then later on had the patient tested for a variety of disease infections. Luck was on our side for he only had diabetes.

Heather Wappot and I wrote a grant proposal to the Peace Corps, we succeeded and later MUNSA initiated the first hepatitis B vaccination campaign at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

As an association, we vaccinated hospital staff for Mbarara Regional Referral hospital, lecturers, students undertaking the following courses; Nursing, Medicine, Medical lab, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical sciences. 

The vaccine doses were offered as follows: Dose 1 March 2014, Dose 2 April 2014 and Dose 3 September 2014. 101 medical students received three doses and 12 two doses of vaccine. 49 Nursing students received three doses and 15 two dosages of vaccine. 56 medical lab students received three doses and 5 two doses of the vaccine.

The results demonstrate the high student interest in protection against hepatitis B infection. This calls for universities and the ministry of health to generate policies to initiate and sustain programs that efficiently vaccinate students in health professions against hepatitis B. This initiative would curb the disease at the primary level.

Mulungu Kenneth

2013/14 President, Mbarara University Nursing Students’ Association