19m Nigerians Living With Hepatitis – NASCP

The National Coordinator, National AIDS and STDs Control Programme (NASCP) Dr Adebobola Bashorun, has said 19 million Nigerians are currently living with Hepatitis.

Bashorun disclosed this yesterday at a press briefing to mark the 2023 World Hepatitis Day, themed: “One Life, One Liver” in Abuja.

He said there are two categories of awareness. “Awareness to  know about the disease and awareness about your status, to know that you need to go for screening.

“In terms of those that know about hepatitis is around 60 percent while for those that know their status , is lower than 50 percent, that is why we trying to create awareness and demand for testing. So apart from getting information about hepatitis, you should also know your own hepatitis status,” he said.

Bashorun noted that there is vaccination for adults to prevent hepatitis, saying; “For you to be vaccinated against hepatitis and properly immunised, you first of all screen and once you are negative you are eligible to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

“It is also part of routine immunisation for children”, he said.

He added that government was ensuring that key populations are vaccinated.

“We have a national strategic frameworks for viral hepatitis from 2022 to 2026 who test negative to hepatitis,” he added.

The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Olufunso Adebiyi, represented by the director of public health, Dr Morenike Alex-Okoh, said the federal government was working towards hepatitis in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).