World Hepatitis Day: Physician tasks Nigerians to know their status

World Hepatitis Day: Physician tasks Nigerians to know their status

As the world celebrates this year’s World Hepatitis Day, a General Practitioner, Dr. Towobola Makinde, has advised Nigerians to know their status, adding it will help the proper management of the disease.

She gave the advice in an interview with Newsmen during an event to commemorate the day with free testing and counselling at Garki Hospital, Abuja, on Thursday.

THECONSCIENCENG reports that World Hepatitis Day is annually observed on July 28 to raise global awareness of hepatitis — a group of infectious diseases known as hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E, and to encourage prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

The theme for the 2022 edition is “Bringing Hepatitis Care Closer to You” with the sub-theme “I Can’t Wait.”

Makinde said Hepatitis B and C viruses affect the liver and are more common than most people are aware of.

According to her, most people go about, and walk around, without even knowing that they have it.

She said that the disease referred to as the “silent killer”, remained a public health threat, causing chronic infections and death.

She added that “the liver is unique in the sense that if it is affected by anything or is injured by anything, it repairs itself, but when you have over 70 per cent to 75 per cent of it being affected, usually, nothing can be done about it.

“Hepatitis is a viral infection and viruses have no cure. However, symptoms can be treated and managed as they come.

“One of the ways by which one can get the hepatitis virus is through sexual contact or basically, exchange of body fluids,” she said.

Makinde said that the disease could also be spread through unsafe injections and blood transfusions, sharing personalised items such as razor blades and toothbrushes and from mother to baby.

She said symptoms of the disease include yellow eyes, loss of appetite, fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, joint pain, dark colour urine, and diarrhea.

She explained that some people who already had the disease might not show any symptoms until much later when it might have reached an advanced stage.

“So, we are encouraging everyone to know his/her status, and if you are negative, get vaccinated.”

She explained that there are hepatitis immunistaion for children which can be taken at birth, while for adults, the vaccination can be taken as stipulated by the National Immunisation Programme, with a booster dose after 10 years.

For prevention of hepatitis C, she said that it could be done by ensuring the use of only sterilised needles or syringes and not reusing either of them, and accepting blood donations from tested sources only.

It also includes practicing safe sex and not sharing personalised objects such as toothbrushes and razor blades.

Meanwhile, World Health Organisation says the “silent killer” is responsible for the yearly deaths of about 125,000 people in Africa despite the availability of treatment.

WHO also revealed that more than 90 million people are living with hepatitis in Africa, accounting for 26 per cent of the global total.