NGO conducts free hepatitis screening for 10,000 people in Nasarawa

A Non Governmental Organisation, Gammun Centre for Care and Development Nigeria, has organised free hepatitis screening for inhabitants of Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the programme, on Thursday, in Akwanga, the director of administration of the NGO, Blessing Tulari, said the programme was organised to mark the 2016 world hepatitis day.

She explained that the NGO has also provided kits to vaccinate those who are hepatitis negative as a preventive measure adding that, it would also continue with the programme for women and children for a period of one year.

She called on indigenes and inhabitants of the state to avail themselves for proper testing and counselling so as to forestall untimely death.

Similarly, another NGO, Beacon Youth Initiative (BYI), has appealed to the Federal Government to scale up viral hepatitis screening across the country so as to reduce liver cancer deaths.

The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr Evoh Emmanuel,  who made the appeal on Thursday during the celebration of the 2016 World Hepatitis Day held in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, said the theme of the 2016 World Hepatitis Day is ‘Elimination of Viral Hepatitis’.

Emmanuel explained that lack of awareness at individual, community and government level is one of the main reasons for the perpetuating global burden of viral hepatitis.