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20 million Nigerians are hepatitis carriers, say experts

By Editor
01 December 2016   |   4:34 am
A Senior Research Fellow and Consultant Pediatrician at the University of Benin/University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Dr. Damien Nwaneri, disclosed this at the flag off of a three-day Hepatitis-B Awareness...
Hepatitis

Hepatitis

Experts have said about 20 million Nigerians are carriers of the hepatitis virus and described the disease as a silent killer among Nigerians adding that eliminating viral Hepatitis was capable of increasing economic growth and save 7.1 million lives by 2030.

A Senior Research Fellow and Consultant Pediatrician at the University of Benin/University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Dr. Damien Nwaneri, disclosed this at the flag off of a three-day Hepatitis-B Awareness and Prevention Campaign, which held in Lagos between Thursday and Saturday.

Nwaneri described Hepatitis-B as inflammation of the liver tissues noted that it carries high morbidity adding that emphasis should be on prevention because treatment is not always complete. While alerting that some percent of infected persons carry the virus for life, he advised every adult Nigerian to go for testing to ascertain their Hepatitis status and urged infected persons to go for vaccination.

Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria sponsored the three-day event in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Sapetro, Petrobras, CNOOC. Development Africa is a charity and international non-governmental organization with a mission to build sustainable and accessible solutions to promote healthcare and education.

“There are different types of Hepatitis; Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E. Approximately 20 percent of Nigerians have Hepatitis. There are different types of Hepatitis, Hepatitis-B is an inflammation of the liver tissues and it carries high morbidity rate. It is advised that all adult Nigerians should go for testing to ascertain their Hepatitis status and to go treatment if infected. However; the emphasis should be on awareness and preventive because the treatment is not always complete as some carriers of the virus carry it for life”, Nwaneri who is also the Senior Medical Consultant to Development Africa stated.

External General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria, Vincent Nnadi also disclosed that while hepatitis kills 1.4 million annually will boost economic growth and save 1.7 million lives by 2030.

“Total is comm

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