By Chioma Obinna

Irked by the alarming increase in prevalence of Hepatitis B and C and its attendant health implications, Nigerian scientists have called for attitudinal change towards prompt management of the infections as 1 in every 12 Nigerians is infected with the deadly virus.

This is coming on the heels of a recent call by the World Health Organisation, WHO, for compulsory vaccination of all vulnerable groups especially children against viral hepatitis infection that causes liver cancer.

An estimated 20 million Nigerians are vulnerable to cirrhosis of the liver which may progress to liver cancer.

They spoke in Lagos at a symposium organised by the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research, NIMR, in commemoration of this year’s World Hepatitis Day, WHD, with the theme: ”Test Now! Vaccinate Now” to promote global action to prevent, diagnose and treat viral hepatitis.

In his views, Director -General of NIMR, Prof. Innocent Ujah, lamented that viral hepatitis is remarkably neglected and therefore not considered a public health problem by policy makers.

“Hepatitis B virus, which is endemic in Nigeria, is particularly a silent killer. The infection is the world’s 8th biggest killer”.

Major public health problem
He said as one of the most infectious diseases in the world, viral hepatitis is a major public health problem, particularly in socially and economically deprived populations, noting that the population of Nigerians infected with viral hepatitis was on the rise.

“Many people are dying from hepatitis infections while others are being infected with the virus. It is expected that something is done speedily about the prevalence; the fact that an estimated statistics shows that about 20million are infected with hepatitis is a serious problem,” said

Chairman of the Symposium, Dr. Eberechukwu Anomneze, who is a Gastroenterologist and Herpetologist.

He urged people who currently have hepatitis and those exposed to it to form an alliance to further press the urgent need to tackle the infection, while calling on the government to subsidise the cost of drugs for treating hepatitis.

Chronic hepatitis:A consultant physician and gastroenterologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Dr. Emuobor Odeghe, in her lecture said one in seven Nigerians has chronic hepatitis.

She said the major transmission routes of the disease occurs from child-to-child through abrasions such as impetigo, scabies and infected insect bites.

Odeghe said that mother-to- child transmission, unsafe injections, and use of contaminated instruments during procedures, drug sharing and homosexual activities were also ways of transmitting hepatitis. “`There is the need to scale up on same prevention strategies against hepatitis.

Strategies should include screening for all pregnant women and immunisation of all neonates or newborns with the first dose of HBV vaccine within 12 hours of birth.

“Subsequent doses of HBV2 and HBV3 can be given as monovalent vaccine or given as polyvalent DPT1 and DPT2 within the first year of life. Routine childhood vaccination, catch-up vaccination for adolescents and vaccination of people at high risks are also part of the strategies.”

Odeghe noted that those at high risk include health workers, partners and close contacts of people with hepatitis, men who have sex with men, dialysis patients and those that require blood transfusion.