The federal government has launched a nationwide hepatitis elimination campaign dubbed Project 365, targeting mass screening, diagnosis, and treatment, as Nigeria battles a silent yet devastating viral epidemic affecting over 20 million people.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, announced the initiative on Monday during a ministerial press briefing to mark World Hepatitis Day 2025, with the theme: “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”, in Abuja.
“Today, we confront a significant but often unrecognised epidemic, viral hepatitis, which affects 18.2 million Nigerians with Hepatitis B and another 2.5 million with Hepatitis C,” the minister stated.
Despite the availability of vaccines and treatment, Prof. Pate lamented that more than 90 per cent of infected individuals remain undiagnosed, contributing to widespread transmission, especially through mother-to-child pathways. Many early symptoms, such as fever and fatigue are commonly misdiagnosed as malaria, he said, allowing the virus to silently damage the liver and, in severe cases, progress to cancer or liver failure.
4,252 Nigerians die annually from liver cancer linked to untreated hepatitis, according to the ministry’s data.
Beyond the public health toll, the economic implications are equally severe. Nigeria loses between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion annually due to the direct and indirect costs of viral hepatitis, the minister disclosed.
To reverse these trends, the government is rolling out a multi-pronged plan to achieve the elimination of Hepatitis C and halt Hepatitis B transmission by 2030. In addition to Project 365, the ministry said it is integrating hepatitis efforts with broader programs aimed at eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
“We must no longer accept the label of having the third-highest hepatitis burden in the world. We have the science. We have the strategy. Now, we must act—with urgency, coordination, and purpose, Prof. Pate emphasised.
