Yesterday, our nation joined the rest of the international community in commemorating the World Day against Hepatitis B.

Activities building up to the commemoration, organized mostly by the Cameroon Association of Gastro-Enterologists and other allied groups have been very useful in that they helped open eyes to the ravages of this particularly dangerous disease which has remained largely unknown or ignored by the commonality of Cameroonians.

In fact, it is thanks to the all-out information campaign engaged by the various stake-holders, including medical personnel and past or present patients, that many Cameroonians go to know about the seriousness of the disease and the very high rate of death it inflicts on the population.

During this pre-commemoration period, it was learned that some 10 per cent of the population is infected with hepatitis B and even a higher percentage of 13 percent for Hepatitis C. The image is that of a huge sword of Damocles hanging over citizens, many of whom are absolutely ignorant of the dangers before them because of the absent of sensitization. The real danger is better encapsulated in the fact that the threat and medical challenges posed by this scourge are far more difficult than del HIV-AIDS. If advances in science have made it possible to find treatment for Hepatitis B, there has been less success in handling Hepatitis C.

The disturbing news about this disease is the ease with which it is contracted; because the main source of infection is through sexual intercourse, blood transfusion and other forms of physical contacts with infected people through saliva and even sweat. And when we acknowledge being in a society where the joy of meeting a loved one is best expressed through a hug or a kiss, we can imagine how much we are exposed to the various forms of hepatitis. This probably explains why such a huge segment of the population is affected.

It could only have been possible because of the crying ignorance not only about the disease, but because of its very dangerous nature with ramifications going beyond simple health given that they also involve economics with the huge sums involved in handling avowed cases. Even if government has fought hard to hold down the financial burden on patients by providing drugs virtually for free, complicated cases requiring heavy spending still exist and aggravate the challenge of managing the disease appropriately.

The information campaign and sensitization carried out last week was most timely and every effort must be made to sustain same if the perilous effects of the disease are to be held down.