Foundation pledges more campaign on hepatitis

The Clem Agba Foundation (TCAF) yesterday pledged to increase its awareness campaigns and sensitisation on the dangers of little known but deadly hepatitis which effects on its victims and said to be more lethal than Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Founder of TCAF, Prince Clem Agba stated this in Auchi, headquarters of Etsako West local government when he flagged off its yearly free screening and vaccination exercise where 186 patients were screened of the disease and two representing 1.1 per cent were found to be positive.

He stated that despite the huge cost involved in procuring screening materials and the vaccines, he would continue to do his best to ensure that more hepatitis negative and at-risk individuals are vaccinated at no cost to the affected individuals since it represents a sure way to get protected.

He used the occasion to solicit the support of the Federal Ministry of Health for the treatment of hepatitis-positive individuals and especially in the area of hepatitis vaccine procurement as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are better equipped to reach the rural areas in the fight against hepatitis. He maintained that the foundation will not rest on its oars until all Nigerians become aware of the dangers of hepatitis and become committed to steps to its prevention and the eventual designation of Nigeria as a hepatitis-free nation.

A volunteer doctor and former Edo state chairman, Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Philip Ugbodaga, bemoaned the lack of the spirit of volunteerism among Nigerians.

According to him, volunteerism is not only the backbone of civil society organizations and social and political movements, but also of many health, education, housing and environmental programmes and a range of other civil society, public and private sector programmes world- wide being also an integral part of every society.

A beneficiary of the free hepatitis screening and vaccination exercise, Alhaji Abdul Usman commended the organizers for taking the awareness programme to the grassroots as most government and non-governmental health promotion initiatives always terminate at urban centers leaving rural dwellers to their fate.

Since its launching in 2014, TCAF has undertaken series of campaign to create awareness about hepatitis and has screened and vaccinated thousands of at risk-individuals especially in rural areas.