Setting the record straight

Editor,Reference is made to the article in The New Times, July, 26, 2012 under the headline “Ministry to Roll out Hepatitis vaccine.” The Health Sector would like to clarify that the Hepatitis B vaccine has been on the national routine immunisation schedule for 10 years.Since 2002, Rwanda introduced the Hepatitis B vaccine for all children under one year free of charge. Therefore paragraph seven of the article that stated that this “vaccine has been rolled out in some health facilities,” is not correct since it is availed across the country.As part of the government’s effort to meet the increasing need for the Hepatitis B vaccine among adults, the government has ensured access to the vaccine at an affordable cost at the Vaccines Preventable Disease Division under the Rwanda Biomedical Centre in comparison to the costs incurred for the same vaccine at private health facilities.It is also important to note that given the nature of transmission of Hepatitis B from one person to another through body fluids, health workers are the “most at risk” group of people and the Ministry of Health has plans to immunise all of them by next year.The Health Sector encourages the public to get immunised against Hepatitis B which is known for causing cirrhosis and liver cancer.Rwanda Health Communication Centre

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Setting the record straight