As the world marked Hepatitis Day, the Nasarawa State government says out of the 181,946 persons screened, 18, 429 persons tested positive for Hepatitis in the state.
State Commissioner for Health, Pharm. Ahmed Yahaya, stated this during a press briefing in Lafia to mark the 2022 World Hepatitis Day.
“The state government is committed to the elimination of viral hepatitis through the implementation of a five year strategic plan with a target of treating 124,000 persons.
“The day was set aside by the World Health Organisation (WHO), to recognize viral hepatitis as a global public health challenge.
“It is commemorated every July 28 to increase its visibility and attract more resources to battle it, as well as to bring succour to the people affected. The theme this year is, Bringing Hepatitis Care Closer to You.”
The commissioner said, the state had exhibited a disproportionately high prevalence of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, as compared to the national average. He also said that the state had designated areas across the 13 local government areas for mass community screening and called on residents to present themselves for the screening.
He advised the public to avoid the use of unsterilized sharp objects, sharing needles, syringes and the transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products.
He said that the public willing to receive vaccines across the state should go to primary healthcare centres, general hospitals and the two tertiary medical facilities in the state.
Similarly, a non governmental organization, Beacon Youth Initiative, in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health and other partners, conducted free hepatitis screening for 1,000 residents of Bukan-Sidi in Lafia.
The Executive Director of the organization, Mr. Envoh Okolo, said that the exercise was to scale up screening for viral hepatitis in the communities and to vaccinate those found to be negative. He urged stakeholders to increase investment and financing efforts geared towards eliminating hepatitis globally.
