Posted on: Fri 29-07-2022

The Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) has screened 100 residents at Kagini Primary Healthcare Centre of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The programme saw the screening of 95 people testing negative, while five tested positive for the hepatitis.

Mrs Odunayo Adegbite, the representative of CFHI, said that the free medical outreach to was part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Hepatitis Day.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that hepatitis is a public health concern, but the stigma surrounding the disease fuels misinformation.

Hepatitis affects millions of people worldwide each year.

The five most common viral hepatitis are A, B, C, D, and E; recently, the hepatitis G virus was identified.

Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through contaminated food, water, poor hygiene and close contact with carriers of the virus.

Hepatitis B, C, D and G are transmitted through blood, sexual intercourse, bodily fluids, kissing, sharing syringes and blades, and touching wounds of infected persons.

Studies revealed that hepatitis A and E are acute; last for less than six months, while hepatitis B, C, D and G may progress to be chronic and more than six months.

Viral hepatitis starts from the absence of symptoms (asymptotic) to mild or moderate features such as jaundice.

There is also yellowish discolouration of the skin and eyes, poor appetite, malaise and progressing to a chronic liver failure.

Adegbite said that the risk factors and transmission modes of hepatitis types A, B, C, D and E include the ingestion of contaminated food or water and unsafe contact with infected body fluids.

She also mentioned receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, mother to child transmission, and sexual contact.

She urged pregnant women to be mindful of the level of unsaturated fat they consume to prevent liver damage.

She advised patients to ensure that all their immediate family members were screened for the disease.

Adegbite advocated for abstinence from ingestion of alcohol, smoking and herbal concoctions as a preventive measure.

Health workers at the PHC also educated the residents on the dangers attached to the disease.

They emphasised the importance of testing and knowing their status and also, the prevention of mother to child hepatitis transmission.

NAN reports that other activities at the event include testing, talk sessions and counselling of women concerning their various test results.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has raised the alarm that the country contributed significantly to the burden of chronic viral hepatitis infection globally.

It said that Nigeria had a prevalence rate of 11 per cent and 2.2 per cent for viral hepatitis B and C, respectively, adding over 20 million Nigerians live with viral hepatitis B or C.

The World Hepatitis Day this year’s theme is, ‘Bringing hepatitis care closer to you.’

The idea of this theme is to focus on raising awareness of the need to make hepatitis care more accessible.

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