By Rotimi Famakin
Federal and State Ministries of Health have been advised to prevent Hepatitis B Virus through effective childhood immunization program.
Chief Medical Director, CMD, University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Professor Jesse Otegbayo stated this while delivering the 548th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan, UI held at the Trenchard Hall of the institution.
The UCH CMD also suggested the need to activate and properly fund the special task force on viral hepatitis prevention.
Professor Otegbayo explained that Hepatitis B is a disease that cannot be seen but affects the heart, causing liver cirrhosis which can kill within six weeks if not reported early.
Professor Otegbayo while making reference to the statistics from the European Union, EU, said currently about 8 million people die from Hepatitis B virus annually while 13 million people are likely to die from the disease by the year 2050.
The Gastroenterology and Herpetology specialist citing the World Health Organization, WHO, explained further that the disease has global distribution while about 2 billion people have markers of the infection worldwide.
He said in Nigeria the prevalence rate of the disease ranges from 6% to 20% adding that more than twenty million people are living with Hepatitis B,C or both while more than 80% of people who have the disease do not know their status.
In Ibadan, Professor Otegbayo said 12% of HIV patient have been found to have a co-infection with Hepatitis B virus noting that the virus is spread in the ancient city among blood donors, health workers, people with multiple sex partners, men who have sex with men, infants of infected mothers and through bloodletting, sacrificial and indiscriminate injections use.
He therefore advised government to adopt house-to-house immunization approach in tackling the disease to prevent greater havoc.
Professor Otegbayo implored Nigerians to embrace constant medical checks so as to prevent the disease.
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