DUSHANBE, March 12, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The Sughd branch of the Republican Imunoprophylactic Center has ended a hepatitis B immunization campaign amongst medical workers in contact with risk group patients and students at medical colleges in northern Tajikistan.

Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the branch director Mumin Bobojonov said that 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 had been vaccinated.  In all, 2,326 students have been vaccinated against hepatitis B.

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 (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) Project.  7,000 vaccines were intended for the Sughd province.

It was the second hepatitis B immunization campaign amongst medical workers in northern Tajikistan; the first one was carried out in 2004, Bobojonov said.

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.