1,681 people vaccinated against Hepatitis B
GORKHA
Ninety individuals from three wards in the remote northern region of Gorkha have been found to be infected with Hepatitis B. A large number of infections were discovered during a disease screening and vaccination campaign conducted in Chumnubri Rural Municipality's Ward No. 3 (Sirdibas), Ward No. 4 (Prok), and Ward No. 5 (Bihi), according to the vaccination camp coordinator, Wangchuk Rapten Lama.
In a 10-day vaccination camp recently concluded in Wards No. 4 and 5, screening was conducted on 923 individuals, and 37 were found to be positive for Hepatitis B, Lama reported. Earlier, a similar testing and vaccination camp held in Ward No. 3 had confirmed 63 infections out of 1,447 individuals tested.
The campaign to identify Hepatitis B infections and administer vaccinations was conducted in coordination with the rural municipality, organized by the Kyimolung Foundation with financial support from Hero and Elevate Nepal. A total of 1,681 people were vaccinated during the campaign in all three wards, according to Wangchuk Rapten Lama, the founding chairperson of the foundation.
According to him, 497 individuals were tested for Hepatitis B in Ward No. 5 (Bihi), out of which 28 tested positive. In that ward, 315 individuals aged 16 and above were vaccinated against Hepatitis B.
Similarly, in the screening and vaccination camp conducted in Ward No. 4, 426 individuals were tested, and 9 were found to be positive. In that ward, 326 individuals aged 16 and above received the Hepatitis B vaccine.
In Ward No. 3, 1,447 people underwent screening, and 63 tested positive. According to Lama, 1,040 individuals aged 16 and above were vaccinated in that ward.
Wangchuk Rapten Lama shared that Hepatitis B infections have become increasingly severe in the Himalayan and high mountain regions of Gorkha. He mentioned that during medical tests required for foreign employment, a high number of locals from this region were found to be infected with Hepatitis B and were subsequently disqualified from going abroad for work. The camp was organized with the aim of reducing this problem, he added.
Health professionals say that Hepatitis B can spread through unsafe sexual contact, and through various bodily fluids from infected individuals such as semen, saliva, sweat, tears, internal fluids, and blood. It can also be transmitted from an infected mother to her child during birth. Pram Gurung, head of the health division in Chumnubri, stated that many cases may be hereditary. He added that individuals infected with Hepatitis B are at high risk of severe complications or death if they contract another illness.
