Claim: Most cases of Hepatitis B in Ghana are not sexually transmitted
Source: Okyeame Kwame (Ghanaian Highlife musician)
Verdict: True
Researched by Gifty Danso
Popular Ghanaian musician, Kwame Nsiah-Apau (alias Okyeame Kwame) claims sexual transmission is not the most prevalent mode of contracting Hepatitis B in Ghana.
His views were captured on a Joy Prime flyer, which had the quote “Most cases of Hepatitis B in Ghana are not sexually transmitted, but rather passed from mother to child.”
The flyer shared on Facebook and X on July 21, 2025, had some wide reactions, including 280 likes, 33 comments and 6 shares on Facebook, with over 4,000 views on X.
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GhanaFact subsequently traced the post to an interview on the Joy Prime Morning programme where Okyeame Kwame had been interviewed.
“There’s a big misconception about Hepatitis B. People are saying it’s sexually transmitted, but the truth is that most of the cases in Ghana or around the world are not about sexual transmission.
“It’s about (transmission) from mother to child. This could be, and I speak unscientifically, maybe 90%. So if a person has hepatitis, it doesn’t mean that it’s a death warrant,” the musician who was also introduced as an advocate for the disease said (Between 9:23 seconds – 9:51 seconds of the interview)
Are most cases of Hepatitis B in Ghana transmitted from mother to child? This report will delve into the issues.
Fact-check
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a growing concern for health practitioners in Ghana. Some studies (here and here) indicated that the disease is especially transmitted from mother to child.
“In Sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana, the major mode of HBV transmission is mother-to-child transmission, and previous studies have reported a relatively high prevalence (2.4%-16.7%) of HBV infection among pregnant women in Ghana,” according to a study published in 2020.
To further verify the claim, GhanaFact spoke with the Programme Manager of the Viral Hepatitis Control Programme at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Atsu Seake-Kwawu, who said it is a misconception to blame sex for Ghana’s high level of Hepatitis B cases.
“With our high prevalence above 8%, mother-to-child transmission is responsible for most new cases. Sexual transmission is not the most prevalent at this level of infection we have in Ghana. The prevalence of sexual transmission is not monitored routinely.
“It will become important when transmission still occurs at a lower prevalence of the disease. So we can’t quantify until we monitor what accounts for each new case of acute Hepatitis B infection through case-based surveillance,” he said.
Verdict
Therefore, the claim is rated true
What is Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver and can cause both an acute and chronic disease. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 254 people are estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B infection in 2022, with 1.2 million new infections each year.
“In 2022, hepatitis B resulted in an estimated 1.1 million deaths, mostly from primary liver cancer.
“Hepatitis B is a major global health problem. The burden of infection is highest in the WHO Western Pacific Region and the WHO African Region, where 97 million and 65 million people, respectively, are chronically infected,” the WHO said.
Mode of Transmission
Hepatitis B is generally spread through contact with infected body fluids, like blood, saliva, vaginal fluids, and semen. It can also be passed from a mother to her baby.
According to a WHO fact-sheet on the disease, in highly endemic areas, hepatitis B is most commonly spread from mother to child at birth (perinatal transmission) or through horizontal transmission, especially from an infected child to an uninfected child during the first 5 years of life.
Hepatitis B is also spread by needlestick injury, tattooing, piercing, and exposure to infected blood and body fluids, such as saliva and menstrual, vaginal, and seminal fluids.
Transmission of the virus may also occur through the sharing or reuse of contaminated needles and syringes or sharp objects, either in health care settings, in the community or among persons who inject drugs. Sexual transmission is more prevalent in unvaccinated persons with multiple sexual partners.
