Life after Hepatitis: Shaibu Issa

Shaibu Issa, 29, is a health advocate in Tanzania. Credit: WHO

Shaibu Issa, 29, was diagnosed with Hepatitis B after his brother showed symptoms of the virus.

“Viral Hepatitis changed my entire life. I’d never shown any symptoms. In 2017 my brother had a stomach ache and decided to go for a check-up. He told me I had to go too. It showed that I had Hepatitis B. Then I started to face stigma, a new experience for me. Nobody talked about it. The only information available was false.

The first time I was admitted to hospital, doctors even refused to touch my body, fearing that I would be transmitting it to them.  After losing my brother [to liver cancer caused by Hepatitis] I believed I would be next. That’s when I decided to use social media to create content about the importance of getting tested. Because I believe that if people could be tested and vaccinated we can beat viral hepatitis. I was not vaccinated because my parents didn’t insist on it; they weren’t aware of it.”

If I’d been vaccinated I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now.

Shaibu’s interview was originally published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Help Eliminate Hepatitis

The WHO Foundation is supporting WHO to raise funding for a 5-year program to scale up access to diagnosis and treatment services for Hepatitis B and C in seven countries: Cambodia, Cameroon, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa, Uganda, and Vietnam

When fully implemented the program aims to:

Prevent 9.5 million new infections.

Avert 2.1 million cases of liver cancer.

The long-term goal by 2050 is to prevent 53 million infections, 15 million cancer cases, and save 23 million lives.

Contact Caterina Mastellaro, Head of Strategic Engagement, c.mastellaro@who.foundation  for more details of the program.