Community Hepatitis Outreach
Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), July 2025
I can’t wait to stop the discrimination of people living with Hepatitis.
This two-day medical outreach aimed to raise awareness, screen, and link individuals to care for Hepatitis B, C, and D in Nyakayaga village, where knowledge and prevention of hepatitis remain limited. The campaign addressed critical gaps in Uganda’s public health response to viral hepatitis, which remains under-prioritized compared to other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.
On 28 July 2025, African Hepatitis B Advocacy Coalition (ABAC), KCMC University and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) organized a Hepatitis B awareness campaign to mark World Hepatitis Day. The event, held at the KCMC grounds, focused on raising awareness, providing free Hepatitis B screening, and offering vaccination. Following this, Bonite Bottlers Ltd. invited the team to conduct a workplace outreach on 5–6 August 2025, where similar services were extended to their employees.
A total of 592 individuals participated across the two activities. The mean age of participants was 42.6 years (SD 14.9), with 65.2% being male and 66.2% married. Most participants resided in urban areas (63.3%), and health insurance coverage was evenly distributed (50.2% insured vs. 49.8% uninsured). Slightly more participants were screened at Bonite (52.5%) compared to KCMC (47.5%).
The overall Hepatitis B positivity rate was 2.2%, with 2.1% at KCMC and 2.3% at Bonite. The majority of participants (over 97%) tested negative. Vaccination services were provided to eligible individuals, and those who tested positive were counselled and referred for further care at KCMC Zonal and referral hospital.
These activities demonstrated the effectiveness of combining community-based and workplace-based approaches in increasing awareness, screening coverage, and prevention of Hepatitis B. The partnership with Bonite Bottlers Ltd. also highlighted the value of engaging private institutions in public health initiatives.