‘Hepatitis ‘B’ Affects 2 Billion People Globally’

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection affects an estimated two billion people world wide, a report of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Rivers State branch, has indicated.

The report, which was made available to The Tide recently stated that out of the two billion people affected worldwide about 300 to 350 million individuals are chronic carriers of HBV while 50 million new cases are diagnosed annually.

According to the report, the United States of America has a low prevalence of HBV infection, but the prevalence of HBV infection rises to 10-15 per cent in parts of Africa, middle and the far East.

“It is estimated that 12 per cent of the population are chronic carriers of HB surface antigen in Nigeria while Hepatitis C virus infection is common world wide “the report stated”.

Dr. I. S. Wokoma of the Department of Medicine,  University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) noted that strides of hepatitis C virus in Nigeria are few though a prevalence of 5.8 per cent was reported in Benin City.

“In the Univesity College Hospital, Ibadan, (UCH) Nigeria, among 200 cases of acute viral hepatitis studied in 1983, B Hepatitis virus was responsible in 16 per cent of cases”, Dr Wokoma explained.

He continue, “also a sero prevalence study of anti-HCV in health blood donor controls in UCH, Ibadan, showed that 11 per cent and 12 per cent were positive respectively”.