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Nigeria: Why Nigeria Has Hepatitis and Must Find Everyone Who Doesn’t Know It

 


World Hepatitis Day-July 28-is an opportunity To raise awareness of hepatitis And encourage government, policymakers, and the people’s commitment to eradicate this dangerous illness.

World Health Organization wants a “hepatitis-free future” theme This year, we focus on preventing hepatitis B in mothers and newborns. The World Hepatitis Alliance has chosen a theme “Find a missing person” -Millions of people who have hepatitis B but are unaware.

In Nigeria alone, About 15 million A person who is unaware that they are infected. The risk of this is that it can develop liver disease, including cancer. They can also continue to infect people around them, especially families and sexual partners. This is why it is important to screen sexual contact with family members of people diagnosed with hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver and is the most common cause of the virus.

There are five different hepatitis viruses, named A, B, C, D and E. Hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV) are the most common causes of long-term liver damage, About 90% of deaths From viral hepatitis. The hepatitis D virus is not a complete virus and only affects people who already have hepatitis B.

Hepatitis A and E viruses are transmitted by the oral route via feces. The faecal-oral route means that pathogens in fecal particles travel from one person’s mouth to another. This is usually the result of poor hygiene and lack of proper hygiene.

Hepatitis B, C, and D are vertical transmission, child-to-child transmission, unscreened blood transfusions, use of nonsterile instruments for surgical procedures, topical circumcision, tribal markings, ear piercings. Infected by indiscriminate use of sharp objects such as tattoos and reuse, unprotected intercourse with needles and syringes. Vertical transmission refers to the passage of the pathogen from mother to baby immediately before and after delivery. It may be caused by direct contact at birth or after delivery.

Prevalence

HBV and HCV are international public health problems and are chronically infected 292 million And 71 million People all over the world. Caused by two viruses About 1 million people die each year.. However, the burden of hepatitis is not evenly spread. Sub-Saharan Africa and the Western Pacific region About 68% of all chronic hepatitis B infections.. The reason for this discrepancy is the slow availability of vaccines and the frequency of dangerous behavior in these areas.

Recent Investigation In Nigeria, the prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C in the country was found to be 8.1% and 1.1% of the population, respectively. This means that about 19 million Nigerians have hepatitis B or C. Our research About 11% of patients with hepatitis B in Nigeria also had hepatitis D. The coexistence of hepatitis B and D is a greater threat to liver health than hepatitis B virus alone.

Unfortunately, most patients with hepatitis B and C infections are asymptomatic and remain until significant liver damage. World Health Organization Presumption Only about 10% and 19% of patients with chronic HBV and HCV are aware of the infection. Hepatitis B and C viruses Liver cancer If not treated properly. The median survival time for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) in sub-Saharan Africa is Less than 3 months..

of Nigerian Digestive and Liver Society Its supporters HBV guidelines All non-vaccinated adults in Nigeria should be screened for hepatitis B infection, especially when they visit the hospital for any reason. This is to ensure that millions of people with subclinical infections are diagnosed and treated as needed.

I’m not sure if all healthcare professionals are following this advice.

Prevention and treatment

who aim By 2030, reduce new HBV infections by 90% and deaths by 65%. The United Nations also Third target of Goal 3 Of its sustainable development goals.

There is no cure for HBV, but it can be prevented by vaccination and avoiding dangerous behavior that promotes infection. There is no effective vaccine to prevent hepatitis C, but it can be treated with available medications.

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission is the most important intervention to reduce the incidence of chronic hepatitis B. This differs from infected adults, where 90% to 95% of children infected from their mothers are in adulthood. All pregnant mothers should be screened for HBV, but screening and treatment are not affordable for many of these women.

HBV vaccination has been included in the routine immunization program for Nigerian children since the late 1990s and is free. Two obstacles to Nigeria’s preventive efforts are the costs of investigating HBV and HCV and the knowledge of health care workers that are not covered by the National Health Insurance system.