World Hepatitis Day: Kwara govt set to screen 5,000 residents

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Kwara State government is set to embark on a mass screening of its populace for hepatitis as part of activities to mark 2024 World Hepatitis Day.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Monday during a program organized by the state Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the State Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, announced that over 5,000 people, including newborns, would be vaccinated against hepatitis in the coming days.

“Over 5,000 individuals, including newborns and other members of the populace, will be screened in the coming days as part of the ministry’s activities to commemorate World Hepatitis Day,” Dr El-Imam said.

The Health Commissioner, who said that the Hepatitis B vaccine is also on the routine immunisation programme of the state government, added that the exercise is aimed at protecting people from contracting the disease at all.

She also said that anyone found positive during the screening exercise would be linked immediately to care so that the condition could be managed and reduce morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.

Dr El-Imam said that the best form of medical care is prevention, advising the populace to eschew harmful traditional and cultural practices.

“We should improve consciousness around disease transmission and modify some of our cultural practices with relevant acquired knowledge more so that the diseases are preventable.

“Never use unscreened blood; avoid harmful practices like communal circumcision, excessive ear piercing, body tattoos, the use of scarification marks, or unprotected sex.

“And when you have it, please seek medical care in government-owned hospitals,” she said, while also recommending the purchase of the health insurance scheme of the state government so that people could get medical services at a subsidised rate.

Also speaking, the HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Programme Officer in the state ministry of health, Dr Muhammed Rasheed, said that the exercise was aimed at causing awareness among the people.

“The majority know about the prevention, risks, and damage that HIV could cause, as well as morbidity, but very few people know these indices as they relate to hepatitis.

“There are so many types of hepatitis A, B, C, and D. Hepatitis B, for instance, is 100 times more infectious than HIV, and yet very few people know about it.

“The deadly hepatitis scourge can cause immediate disease, liver cirrhosis, cancer, and thus death. The cost of a liver transplant is almost unaffordable for more than 90% of our population.

“So, we’re creating awareness so that there won’t be a need ever for our people to even require that kind of treatment that we know we can’t afford.”

He said that hepatitis B and C are very deadly viruses, urging people to imbibe preventive measures and get vaccinated against hepatitis B, which is vaccine-preventable.

“There’s no vaccine for hepatitis C for now. So, that’s why it’s noteworthy to emphasise prevention.

Also speaking, the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Hon. Razaq Owolabi, said that the House would support an improved budgetary allocation to the health sector and agencies, especially in the 2025 budgetary provision, to ensure more quality healthcare delivery for the people.

He said that Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has paid counterparts funds on so many health-related programmes to improve the provision of quality health care for the citizens.

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