80% Of Doctors In Nigeria Prone To Hepatitis B – Audu

The chief medical microbiologist and infectious diseases specialist, Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Dr Esther Audu, has said 80 percent er of doctors in the country are prone to hepatitis B infection.

She gave the hint during the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the National Association of Resident Doctors held in Lafia on Thursday.
The medical practitioner added that over 59,000 health workers are exposed to hazards ranging from chemical, biological, physical and psychological effects in the practice.

Dr Audu added that doctors around the world die due professional hazards which she added hindered medical practice in the country. She listed the infection diseases to include HIV/AIDS, hepatitis,COVID-19, monkey pox, Ebola and marbug virus.

In her keynote address, she stated that no doctor is immune to biological hazards like hepatitis B which could be transmitted through blood, adding that from January to February 40 health workers were infected with coronavirus pandemic while four died of the ailment.

NARD president, Dare Godiya Ishaya in his speech, described Governor Abdullahi Sule as a doctor-friendly governor, saying doctors were migrating outside the country in search of greener pasture. He urged governors to have a rethink by appraising the working conditions of doctors.