Group Offers FCT Community Free Hepatitis Screening, Vaccines

Rotary Club of Abuja Gwarinpa has offered free hepatitis screening, vaccination and counseling to over 50 residents of the Gwarinpa community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

President of Rotary Club Abuja Gwarinpa, Rotarian Adebanke Aderogba said the outreach was in commemoration of the 2023 World Hepatitis Day with the view to increase awareness and efforts by individuals, organizations and the government on a more impactful worldwide response to hepatitis.

She said that with this year’s theme of “One life, One liver,” the Rotary Club of Abuja Gwarinpa commemorated the day with a health talk on hepatitis, free testing, counselling and vaccination to their adopted community.

The club president reiterated Rotary International’s efforts in the fight against diseases such as hepatitis which is in line with one of its areas of focus: disease prevention and control.

“What we are doing here today is to mark World Hepatitis Day. As Rotary International, we have a mandate to eradicate diseases. One of the areas of focus of Rotary International is disease prevention and control/eradication; so for us as a Club we decided to execute this project in our adopted community which is Gwarinpa village.

“Because we know hepatitis is a major ailment. We are here today to create awareness about the disease and let people know that this disease is not a death sentence; there are vaccines that are available for it,” she said.

Aderogba further elucidated on their scheduled activities for the day which included symposium on hepatitis, tests and vaccination for a minimum of 50 people with the second and third doses of the vaccination scheduled for August 28 and September 28, 2023.

She said that these three doses must be completed in order to ensure freedom from hepatitis. “We are also going to take the data of everyone that will be vaccinated today for proper follow up and also to remind them of the next doses,” she added.

The club service project chair, Rotarian Obioha Elenwoke remarked that the task of providing health care in the country should not be left for the government alone, but that everyone should try in their own way to support the government in the fight against hepatitis.