As the world marks the 2021 World Hepatitis Day, today, the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Prof Princewill Chike, says an estimated 19million Nigerians are living with Hepatitis B and C undiagnosed.
This number, he said, is part of the over 290million people living with the ailment globally without knowing it, thus making it mandatory for such people to be identified and linked to care.
“Worldwide, over 290million people living with hepatitis are unaware of their status… According to the National HIV/AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) 2018, our country, Nigeria bears a huge burden of viral hepatitis with a prevalence rate of 8.1% for hepatitis B and 1.1% for hepatitis C.
“This translates to an estimated 19million people for hepatitis B and C, including co-infection of both. Knowledge of viral hepatitis remains low amongst Nigerians despite being a leading infectious cause of death each year.
“As a consequence, most of the estimated 19million Nigerians living with Viral Hepatitis B or C are underdiagnosed.
Chike, who stated this in his broadcast to mark the 2021 World Hepatitis Day in the state, noted that this situation has created the environment for further spread of the ailment.
According to him, it has increased “The likelihood of future transmission to others and placing them at greater risk of severe, even fatal health complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)”.
The commissioner, however, noted that both hepatitis B and C are preventable through vaccination, which is available in both public and private health facilities in Rivers State.
“Hepatitis B vaccine provides life-long immunity and the vaccination is available in both public and private health facilities in Rivers State. While hepatitis B is treatable, there is cure for hepatitis C”, he said.
He used the opportunity to urge people to get vaccinated early enough to prevent infection, and tested to determine their status.
“Rivers State Government”, he stated, “has functional PCR machines that are calibrated for both hepatitis B, C and HIV, domiciled at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital which has been designated as the flag ship and apex centre for the testing and treatment of hepatitis”.
The World Hepatitis Day is commemorated yearly on July 28 to raise awareness on the global burden of viral hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver.
The commemoration is also aimed at influencing real change towards the elimination of viral hepatitis.
The theme for this year’s World Hepatitis Day is, “Hepatitis Can’t Wait”.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said no fewer than three million people become infected every year with the Hepatitis virus.
Every 30 seconds, one person in the world dies of a disease caused by hepatitis.
The United Nations has planned to largely contain the various forms of viral hepatitis by 2030.
But to achieve this, diagnosis and treatment must be improved.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said this ahead of the World Hepatitis Day, today.
This year, the motto of World Hepatitis Day is, “Hepatitis Can’t Wait’’.
The WHO had called on governments to campaign to get more people tested and treated.
“Hepatitis was an inflammation of the liver that can lead to severe liver disease and cancer.
“There are five different types of viral hepatitis, from A to E.
“They are triggered by viruses that are not related to each other,’’ WHO stated.
The pathogens are transmitted through contaminated food in the case of A and E, or through blood and sexual contact in the case of B and C.
Hepatitis D only developed in people who have hepatitis B.
Hepatitis B and C are the most widespread and one of the main causes of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
According to WHO, an estimated 354million people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis B or C.
Three million people become infected every year, and 1.1million people die from it.
Although the diseases can be cured, there is a problem with diagnosis.
According to WHO estimation in 2019, only 21 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis C knew they were infected.
For hepatitis B, it is only 10 per cent of the infected persons knew of their infections.
Because people at high risk of infection, such as some drug users and men who have sex with men, tend to be harder for health services to reach, WHO is advocating the provision of self-tests for hepatitis C.
In a new manual, it recommends how and where such tests can be given and helpers trained to use them.

By: Sogbeba Dokubo