… as Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett, Funke Kuti, others headline 2019 LWI 8th GHB

By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Stakeholders in the health sector have called on government at all levels to create awareness campaign on the effect of Hepatitis and Hepatitis B generally on pregnant women and their children.

Pregnant women

The call was made during the 2019 8th Annual Grand Health Bazaar, GHB, and 3rd Biennial Liver Health Confab of the Live Well Initiative, LWI, which held in Lagos recently.

The 3 days programme started on April 23 with the entertainment and health and wellbeing segments which featured celebrities including, Taiwo Ajayi-Lycett, Funke Anikulapo-Kuti, Lazy Writa, Bayo Oyenuga among others. The 3-in-1 programme also featured health and wellness as well as food day which ended on the third day.

Starting with the LWI anthem, “If you are not eating well, you have got a lot to tell, if you cannot manage stress, your body will be distressed, no matter who you are, no matter what you do, you know that health is wealth, we must live well. We will live well, we will live well, we know that health is wealth, we must live well. I do my part, you do your part, to make people live well, I spread the news, you spread the news, that, we must live well”, the officials were able to pass the message to the audience.

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The LWI and its subsidiary, Women in Hepatitis Africa WIHA, threw open their doors to the discerning public, to jaw jaw and discuss pertinent health issues centered around Wellness, Nutrition, Liver Health, and overall Wellbeing.

The theme for the event, ‘Sustainable Development Goals as a Catalyst for Enhanced Corporate Sustainability and the sub-theme including ‘Entertainment as an Ingredient for Good Health and Wellbeing, ‘Coffee and Liver Health A Workplace Enhancer, ‘Adult Malnutrition as a Cause of Executive Stress, GHB offers everybody, lot of value.

Speaking with WO, Founder, LWI, Mrs. Bisi Bright, disclosed that, “The GHB is a popular annual event which brings together technocrats from all walks of life, including bankers, telecoms experts, HR Consultants, Manufacturers, and healthcare professionals, under one Multi-sectoral platform, to discuss the way forward on health issues.

“It was 3-in-1 event with Plenaries/Symposia, a Grand Exposition and a Free Walk-in healthy fair. The essence of the GHB was to bring together different people in the multiple sectors of the economy to come and talk about health as a common denominator.

“Going from one sector to another including entertainment, business among others enabled us understand the challenges people in different sectors pass through.

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“Most of the time, entertainers do not talk about their health and as such, compromise their health in the process of entertaining the people so, we decided that we would bring them to talk about their health generally and that is why, we selected the theme, “Entertainment, as an ingredient for good health and wellbeing.

“For Liver health, hepatitis is a silent killer and it is really catching up in many countries around the world. So, we decided to talk about it. Lastly, we believe that food is so important and it can lead to disease if it is not properly taken care of. That is why, we have food day.

“The LWI believes in increased wellness for everybody, increased sensitization and awareness and things that should be taken care of that can either improve wellbeing or compromise health.

In the past years, LWI has spent more time working on promoting liver health, maternal and child health and cardiovascular health”, she explained.

Speaking on the effect of hepatitis B as it concerns pregnant women, Head, Lagos Laison Office of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, Dr. Omolaso Omosehin, X-rayed that, “Hepatitis B and C, D to some extends can be contracted through sexual intercourse, saliva, semen, vaginal secretions and use of needles that are not sterilized. It can also be contracted through blood transmission if the blood was not screened properly.

“There is a possibility that a woman can contract it when she is pregnant, and the possibility that she can transmit the virus to her baby and this can affect the development of the baby.

“Because of lack awareness, women who are affected may progress to complications which are not desirable. That is why it is important to create awareness of some on these hepatitis including hepatitis B. Although, it is uncommon in Africa but in those areas where it is common, you need to go for a test because the symptoms may not be evident like hepatitis A and B.

“Hepatitis B affects more women than men. The risk of hepatitis B to the baby during pregnancy is high. Women should talk to their doctors to know their status. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver. It can cause scarring of the organ, liver failure, and cancer. It can be fatal if it isn’t treated.

“Symptoms of Hepatitis B include jaundice, light-colored poop, fever, fatigue that persists for weeks or months, stomach trouble like loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting, belly pain. Symptoms may not show up until 1 to 6 months after you catch the virus.

“If your baby gets the virus and isn’t treated, he could have long-term liver problems. All newborns with infected mothers should get hepatitis B immune globulin and the vaccine for hepatitis at birth and during their first year of life”, he said.

The Public health practitioner however called on government to double up efforts to create awareness on hepatitis not only among women but the general public. They should create awareness especially on how to prevent people from contracting the disease.

“They can also create awareness about the symptoms so that when they contract it, they do not go to a quack but a qualified medical practitioner who would be able to examine them and apply necessary medical attention.

“Women that are vulnerable are those on the streets, marketplaces among others, therefore, it is important to know the traditional way to help them. If we must get to the grassroots, the community health workers; the traditional town criers who can create awareness closer to the people should be involved thereby making it possible for them to know about the diseases.

“We are working with the federal, state and local governments to make sure that proper awareness about women’s health especially the productive health is created.  We use NGOs, CSOs along with some government officials to get the work done”, he concluded.

Also, Dr. Oluseun Popoola, Coordinator for Women in Technical Education and Employment, Yaba College and Technology, Chapter, disclosed that, most women are not aware of hepatitis as well as its effects.

“LWI has over 500 women and several of them were our students and I was part of those trained. I have learnt that the liver is an important organ and that hepatitis is on the increase in Nigeria and the whole of Africa.

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With the launch of WAHI, I believe, there will be intense champion on hepatitis as a deadly disease. Through WAHI, we have come to know, being an hepatitis champion,  is to spread the news on how to reduce hepatitis in our community.

“Women in Technical Education and Employment is all over Nigeria with branches in all the polytechnics in Nigeria and several chapters in English speaking countries of Africa including Ghana, Kenya among others.

“We believe that through the association, other women would be informed and enlightened about hepatitis and train others thereby strengthening our chances of becoming a better champion of no to hepatitis in Africa”, she said.