By Chioma Obinna

With 20 million Nigerians suffering from hepatitis,  Gastroenterologists, who are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis and liver cancer,  have said that awareness and regular screening are key to the elimination of the disease.

SCREENING: Regular blood checks help in early detection and treatment of hepatitis

This revelation is coming on the heels of a new report by the World Health Organisation, WHO, which shows that 95 percent of people with hepatitis are unaware of their status.

Speaking last week in Lagos at an event organised by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, to commemorate the 2016 World Hepatitis Day, Director of Research and Clinical Services, NIMR, Dr Nkiruka Odunukwe, noted that 1 in 12 Nigerians has hepatitis B or C and “this must not be swept under the carpet.”

Stressing that the WHO has called for elimination of the disease by 2030, she disclosed that at NIMR, even as 5,000 hepatitis B patients are receiving care at its specialised clinic. Odunukwe said the time for Nigerians to take positive action is now, hence, the need for increased awareness, screening and key interventions including universal vaccinations.

“We all know that hepatitis B or C in Nigeria is a public health issue and we need to eliminate it; how do we eliminate it?  It is by increasing awareness, informing the public that it exists and can cause cancer of the liver and actually spells death for people infected. “

Odunukwe, said NIMR is well equipped for diagnosis of the hepatitis virus and has been diagnosing those infected. `We have over 5,000 infected people under our programme of screening the masses to know those infected and those who are not.” She said most of patients are now having very low and undetected hepatitis B virus which is a step toward elimination.

Also speaking, a Consultant Gastroenterologist, with the Lagos State University Teaching, LASUTH, Dr. Charles Onyekwere, said that many people were still unaware of the routes through which the virus could be contacted, adding that the national figure put the rate of infection at 11 percent.

Onyekwere who maintained that it is possible to eliminate the disease said people must be educated about the routes through which the virus could be contracted. “And they also need to know the practices to imbibe to prevent getting the infection and they also need to know their status in order to take appropriate measures,” he stressed.

Describing hepatitis  as a silent disease, Onyekwere  urged the members of the public  to imbibe a healthy lifestyle and be aware of the common infection routes. “Hepatitis B can be contacted through body fluids, sexually or sharing sharp objects or through other unhealthy practices,” he said.

In her remarks, the Head, Human Virology Laboratory, NIMR, Dr Rosemary Audu, called for regular screening and vaccination once tested negative.

“Hepatitis B is a silent killer; People may have it for years without even knowing until it gets to the last stage. So, I will not recommend that people should wait to see symptoms before they go for screening. If you are negative, get vaccinated and if you are positive, see a physician for proper management,” she added,