DUSHANBE, December 18, 2008, Asia-Plus — The Sughd branch of the Republican Imunoprophylactic Center has launched a hepatitis B immunization campaign amongst students at medical colleges.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the branch director Mumin Bobojonov said that its was the first stage, during which the third- and fourth-year students at medical colleges of Khujand, Panjakent, Istaravshan and Konibodom as well as Khujand Medical College’s branches in Mastchoh, Spitamen and Asht would be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
In all, the operation, supported by the Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere), is supposed to cover 2,326 students, Bobojonov noted.
We will recall that US$1.4 million worth of 30,000 hepatitis B vaccines were provided to Tajikistan by the United States through the Project HOPE. Of this amount, 7,000 vaccines were intended for the Sughd province.
“Medical workers in contact with risk group patients are inoculated with the vaccine,” said Bobojonov, “Students at Medical College, who will work with medical facilities in the province, are also vaccinated.”
According to him, it is the second hepatitis B immunization campaign amongst medical workers in northern Tajikistan; the first one was carried out in 2004.
Hepatitis B is caused by a virus that affects the liver. Adults who get hepatitis B usually recover. However most infants infected at birth become chronic carriers i.e. they carry the virus for many years and can spread the infection to others. In 2000, there were an estimated 5.7 million cases of acute hepatitis B infection and more than 521 000 deaths from hepatitis B-related disease.
