Experts Harp On Preventive Measures

A member of the Society for Gastroenterology and Hepatology of Nigeria (SOGHIN), Dr Gabriel Ogunyemi,  last Thursday admonished Nigerians that early vaccination was key to preventing Hepatitis.

Ogunyemi spoke in Lagos against the backdrop of statistics which indicate that over 20 million Nigerians were infected with the disease, believed to be 100 times more infectious than HIV.

He said that the Hepatitis virus could survive outside the body for at least seven days and a person could only be prevented from being infected if he or she was protected by the vaccine.

“Hepatitis B virus is transmitted between people by direct blood to blood contact or semen and vaginal fluid of an infected person.

“Modes of transmission are the same as those for HIV but the Hepatitis B virus is 50 to 100 times more infectious as it can survive outside the body for at least seven days. “During this time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not protected by the vaccine,” he said.

The doctor noted that hepatitis vaccination only started in Nigeria in 2005 and mothers had to ensure that their children got vaccinated at birth as prenatal transmission was common in developing countries.

“Children and adolescents younger than 18 years and not previously vaccinated should also receive the vaccine. “The complete vaccine series induces protective antibody levels in more than 95 percent of infants, children and young adults. “Vaccine protection lasts at least 20 years and is possibly life-long,” he said.

Also speaking on the disease, Dr Tajudeen Salami, who works at the General Hospital, Lagos, said that prevention of hepatitis was cheaper than its treatment.