Soroti Hospital regional referral hospital administration has expressed concern over a spike in new cases of Hepatitis B registered at the facility.
The coordinator of emergency treatment Dr Athanasius Ariengu, currently has over 200 patients being handled at the hepatitis B clinic which is conducted every Tuesday.
He notes that due to this growing number of patients, the clinic sometimes runs short of drugs, affecting patient viral load suppression.
Hepatitis B is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV).
For most people, hepatitis B is short-term, also called acute, and lasts less than six months.
But for others, the infection becomes chronic, meaning it lasts more than six months.
According to health experts, having chronic hepatitis B increases one’s risk of developing liver failure, liver cancer or cirrhosis a condition that permanently scars the liver.
Hepatitis B signs and symptoms may include abdominal pain, dark urine, fever, Joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness and fatigue, yellowing of the skin.
