Vaccinations

Hepatitis affects millions of people around the globe; hepatitis B in particular disproportionately affects people living in poverty. The hepatitis B virus (HBV) is estimated to affect around 75 million people in Africa. In 2013 the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that acute hepatitis B was responsible for 300 deaths in the Burkinabe population. WHO estimates that secondary liver infections caused an additional 4,000 deaths each year. That’s why your gift of vaccinations is so important to the people of Burkina Faso. Because of the support of partners like you, more than 2,300 children have been vaccinated against hepatitis B. The virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids. This intervention also allowed thousands of children to be tested for hepatitis and subsequently treated. And thousands of people received training on how to prevent the disease. Interventions like this one protect precious children from suffering illness and even dying — thank you for giving vaccines and powerfully protecting children.