La longue éclipse des hépatites virales en Afrique

Ethnographie à l’hôpital à Yaoundé

Abstract

Viral hepatitis B (and viral hepatitis C to a lesser extent) in Sub-Saharan Africa is a devastating epidemic that is under-studied. Hepatitis B prevalence is as high as 8 % to 12 % in most countries in the continent. If not diagnosed and treated viral infection may become chronic and can then evolve into liver cancer and cirrhosis. In this article I tackle viral hepatitis in Africa through an ethnographic and sociohistorical approach to consider the paradox of their visibility in a hospital despite invisibility as a major chronic disease in global health. Hepatitis B in Africa, its extent today and its recent history, give an opportunity to rethink chronic diseases and cancer in Africa in particular viral cancers in global health.