By Ibrahim Sorie Koroma, Senior Health Education Officer – HEP/MoH
The Government of Sierra Leone, in collaboration with the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) within the Ministry of Health and its partners, has announced an ambitious plan to administer free Hepatitis B vaccines to over 355,000 newborns in 2025. This initiative will involve distributing more than 457,000 doses of the vaccine, which will be given to infants within the first 24 hours of birth.
The plan was detailed during a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Freetown. Dr. Desmond Maada Kangbai, Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization, outlined the primary goal of this vaccination campaign: to significantly reduce the prevalence of Hepatitis B infection among children under five years old. This effort is part of a broader global target to eliminate the disease by 2030.
Dr. Kangbai emphasized that the campaign aims to achieve a 95% vaccination rate among newborns, which will help prevent perinatal transmission of the Hepatitis B virus. Additionally, the initiative will integrate the Hepatitis B Birth Dose vaccine into Sierra Leone’s national immunization schedule, which is expected to improve coverage for other vaccines, such as BCG, at birth. This move is designed to mitigate the risks of Hepatitis B-related morbidity and mortality in young children.
Highlighting the vaccine’s efficacy, Dr. Kangbai noted that it is 98% effective in preventing Hepatitis B infection and associated liver cancer. The vaccination series includes the initial dose given at birth and two subsequent doses administered as part of the Pentavalent (Penta) conjugate vaccine. This regimen ensures protection ranging from 98% to 100% against Hepatitis B, with immunity lasting at least 20 years, and potentially for life.
The EPI Manager also pointed out that the vaccine is prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommends administering the first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth, preferably within 24 hours. This recommendation is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which advocates for the birth dose prior to hospital discharge.
Dr. Kangbai provided an update on the disease’s global impact, noting that Africa accounts for 70% of Hepatitis B infections. By 2021, only 14 out of 47 African countries had integrated a routine birth dose of the vaccine, with only 18% of African infants receiving the birth dose in 2022.
“Hepatitis B vaccination of infants is a crucial component of the Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis 2016-2021, endorsed by WHO. It supports the UN Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030,” Dr. Kangbai stated.
He concluded by projecting that high coverage with the Hepatitis B birth dose, followed by at least two additional doses, could prevent 710,000 deaths among children born between 2020 and 2030, with 78% of these children being in Africa.
