Ministry Of Health Statement on Declaration of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)
- Press release //
- Ministry Of Health Statement on Declaration of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)
Ministry Of Health Statement on Declaration of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV)
The Ministry of health (MOH) would like-to inform the general public that there is an outbreak of Hepatitis E Virus-in Wau. Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
On 2 March 2023, the Ministry of Health received a notification of cluster of cases presenting with yellowing of the eyes and deaths associated with the event.
In response to the reported suspect case, the Ministry of Health with support from WHO immediately deployed a multidisciplinary national rapid response team to conduct an epidemiological investigation, characterize the event, determine the magnitude and identify exposure/risk factors to guide control and prevention interventions. Between 23 March 2023 and 13 April 2023, a total of 44 blood samples were collected and tested for HEV IgM antibodies among which 35(79.5%) tested positive.
As of13 April 2023, acumulative total of 91 cases with symptoms and signs consistent with HEV disease and five deaths (Case Fatality Rate: 5.5%) were reported from Wau. Most cases (93% are from Nazareth village in Wau South. The median age group affected is 20 years (Interquartile range: 2- 71). Males are the most affected accounting for 73.6% of all reported cases.
Hepatitis E is aliver infection caused by the hepatitis E virus(HEV). HEV si found in the stool of an infected person; it is usually spread by the fecal-oral route, and the most common source of HEV infection is contaminated drinking water.
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