In Rwanda, all babies now receive the hepatitis B vaccine right after they are born. The vaccine is given within the first 24 hours of life to protect babies as early as possible and keep them safe in the future.
The goal is simple and important: to stop the disease from being passed from mother to child during birth and to protect children for life. According to the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), this vaccine is very effective and affordable.
To make sure every baby can get the vaccine, the government has trained health workers, improved vaccine storage systems, and equipped all health centers, including those that support home births.
Hepatitis B is a disease caused by a virus. It can spread easily, especially from a mother to her baby at birth. Around the world, about 254 million people live with chronic hepatitis B, but in Rwanda, only 0.26% of the population is affected. Thanks to this program, Rwanda is getting closer to its goal: eliminating hepatitis B as a public health problem by 2030.
