Head of Prevention, department of Public Health in the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chukwuma Anyaike has said that about 20 Million Nigerians are infected Hepatitis B and C Virus.
Dr Anyaike said this during a one-day stakeholders’ advocacy workshop on Viral Hepatitis awareness organised by the Yakubu Gowon Foundation in Abuja.
He said “Viral Hepatitis is a very big public health issue in Nigeria. By the work Federal Ministry of Health has done, we have 20 million Nigerians living with Hepatitis B and C and they are at the risk of developing cirrhosis of the liver and cancer of the liver.
“Most importantly, these ones are living in the communities and they are not aware of it and in the same process, they are transferring the infection to other people in the community.”
“What we should do is to create the awareness and to sensitise people on the burden of Viral Hepatitis in Nigeria, and for the various strata of the government to commit some funds to fight viral Hepatitis in the country.”
Chairman of the occasion, General Yakubu Gowon (Rtd) also added that “seeing that the prevalence rate of this disease is about double the national HIV prevalence rate. The nation and the world should take note.”
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