At UN General Assembly in New York: Cameroon calls for stronger global action against viral hepatitis.

The member of government is leading Cameroon’s delegation to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 

Minister Manaouda made the appeal at the fifth annual meeting of the Group of Friends of the United Nations for the Elimination of Hepatitis, held on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

Delegations from various member States used the meeting to review a draft resolution on hepatitis that is expected to be presented to the General Assembly. 

Speaking during the gathering, Dr Manaouda Malachie, who is the Head of State’s envoy to the UN General Assembly, welcomed the renewed international attention to what he described as an emergency that has remained silent for too long. 

He warned that the disease has continued to claim lives despite the availability of vaccines, screening tools and effective treatments. The minister pointed out that despite major advances in prevention, diagnosis and treatment, viral hepatitis continues to affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

According to the figures cited by Dr Manaouda, nearly 287 million people are living with hepatitis B or C, while the diseases account for about 1.3 million deaths annually.

He noted that for Cameroon, eliminating viral hepatitis cannot be treated as an isolated health objective. The minister linked the response to universal health coverage, maternal and child health, blood-transfusion safety and the prevention of liver cancer.

He argued that the scale of the disease has not yet been matched by equivalent political and financial commitment.

Dr Manaouda used the gathering to reveal that the country has expanded its network of approved treatment centres from 21 to 65, bringing hepatitis services closer to patients. Screening, the minister said, has also increased. 

In 2025, he said 404,192 pregnant women were tested, up from 312,280 in 2024. Screening among the general population also rose, from 245,296 people in 2024 to 336,400 in 2025.

Dr Manaouda cited, among other measures, the completion of a national hepatitis management guide, the introduction of the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine and free prophylaxis for pregnant women carrying the virus.

The next priority, Dr Manaouda said, is to progressively integrate hepatitis services into the country’s Universal Health Coverage package. He said the objective is to prevent financial barriers from keeping people from diagnosis and treatment. 

“No one should give up diagnosis or treatment for financial reasons,” Dr Manaouda stated, stressing that the remaining challenges are no longer purely scientific but political, financial and organizational. 

He cited the ministry’s declaration signed in May 2026 as a basis for further international action. He noted that Cameroon is advocating a formal process leading to a high-level United Nations meeting on hepatitis in 2028, supported by measurable targets and an accountability mechanism.

He noted that the country is also calling for sustainable financing of national hepatitis plans, lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs and affordable access to essential medicines and health products.

He said Cameroon is ready to work with UN member States, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations, the African Union, communities and other partners to strengthen the proposed resolution.

According to the minister, with the global 2030 elimination target approaching, the international community must turn political commitments into measurable action. 

“The time of silence is over,” Dr Manaouda declared, urging countries to provide the resources and political commitment needed to deliver on the promise of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3918 of Wednesday September 23, 2026