Viral Hepatitis: Expert Identifies Risk Groups

The Manager, HIV Control Programme, Rivers State, Dr Golden Owhonda, has identified injection drug users, homosexuals, health workers especially dentists and surgeons, people with frequent dialysis and blood transfusion as risk communities of the deadly Viral Hepatis infection.
Owhonda revealed this while speaking with journalists at a Hepatitis function in Port Harcourt, recently.
Owhonda who noted that Viral Hepatis particularly of the type B and C was basically from blood to blood products, said it could also occur sexually and transmitted from the infected mother to the unborn child.
He said “Viral Hepatitis is an issue to us because it carries some very serious consequences especially on their liver causing liver cancer, liver cirosis and failure. It has five types ABCDE. Their mode of spread is different and so their risk factors”.
“For B and C, it is basically from blood to blood products and transmission can also occur sexually where there is an unprotected sexual intercourse. For the risk people, we have men who have sex with men, these people are at risk of hepatitis B and C. We have injection drug users which are people who inject a lot of drugs, we have people with recurrent blood transfusions; people who go for frequent dialysis. We also have health workers as especially dentists and surgeons. These group of people are at risk of the B and C hepatitis “.
The expert stated that the hepatitis type A and C was Bioral explaining that it can be contracted through food, drinks and unsafe water.
“Owhonda said “for this type, it can be gotten from what you eat, drink, areas of poor hygiene and environmental sanitation, unsafe water, in appropriate storage and cooking of food, lack of good water typically infernal areas and improper hand washing. And so, it is imperative that we observe optimum cleanliness at all times, desist from unprotected sex and blood products handling to avoid hepatitis”.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu