Introduction: Viral hepatitis is an emerging threat. The economic impact of these infections is immense since liver cancer has a high fatality rate in Africa and usually affects economically productive age groups. However, little is known of the state of healthcare cost and access to care for such infections in the region (and especially in Ethiopia).
Objective and Study design: the present study investigated the current status of healthcare access in Ethiopia for patients with hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) through expert surveys using a pre-defined questionnaire.
Principal findings: The survey results showed a heavy burden of HBV and HCV in Ethiopia, mostly affecting the economically productive age group in the middle and lower economic classes. Unfortunately, the diagnosis rates for both HBV and HCV cases are very low. Moreover, the treatment rates are also low due lack of access and affordability. There is no well-established health insurance system in Ethiopia. The cost of healthcare is mainly borne out-of-pocket by patients.
Conclusions: There is a need to increase hepatitis awareness among the general public and healthcare workers. Subsidies for diagnosis and treatment are also urgently needed. Vaccination needs to be extended to at-risk populations.

Introduction: Viral hepatitis affects millions of people around the globe. The burden of disease is significantly higher in developing countries such as those in Africa. Lack of awareness coupled with inadequate information about the disease amongst general public is the major reason for the spread of infection. Awareness of the disease can help in building advocacy and improving access to care. In order to assess the awareness levels of hepatitis among general public in Cameroon, we designed and conducted a cross-sectional study.
Materials and Methods: The objective of the study was to assess the awareness of hepatitis in a set population of Cameroon. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a small population in Cameroon. A total of 88 people aged between 18 to 70 years participated in the survey.
Results: On a scale of 0 to 10 the average awareness level of the survey respondents was 5.38. Although the results indicated that the survey participants had some knowledge about hepatitis, it was observed that there was lack of awareness in some key areas of the disease such as modes of transmission and vaccination. There is a need for initiatives at a population level to increase the awareness about viral hepatitis, modes of transmission, treatment and prevention in Cameroon.