Hepatitis: Many Nigerians Mistake Early Symptoms For Malaria – Expert

Many Nigerians infected with hepatitis unknowingly mistake its early symptoms for malaria, leading to delayed diagnosis and increasing the risk of severe liver complications, a consultant gastroenterologist, Dr Justice Igbiti, has said.

Igbiti said poor health-seeking behaviour remains one of the biggest challenges in the fight against hepatitis, as many people fail to seek medical attention when symptoms first appear.

According to him, hepatitis has two stages; acute and chronic, with the acute stage occurring within the first six months of infection.

“The acute phase commonly presents with fever, body weakness and joint pains, which many people simply assume is malaria. As a result, they do not go to the hospital for proper testing,” he said.

He explained that although many people recover from the acute phase, some progress to chronic hepatitis without realising it because the symptoms subside.

“The danger is that by the time many people discover they have hepatitis, the disease may have already caused serious liver damage, including cirrhosis or liver cancer. Our goal is not to diagnose hepatitis when someone already has liver cancer or cirrhosis. We want to detect it early enough to prevent those complications,” he said.

Igbiti identified inadequate awareness, limited access to screening in rural communities and vaccine hesitancy as other major factors driving the burden of hepatitis in Nigeria.

He noted that many awareness campaigns and screening exercises are concentrated in urban areas, leaving people in hard-to-reach communities without access to testing and preventive services.

“Our outreaches need to go beyond the cities. People in remote communities are not being reached, and even when they are, some are reluctant to take blood tests or receive vaccines because of misconceptions,” he said.

The gastroenterologist urged governments and development partners to intensify public education, expand community-based screening and strengthen vaccination campaigns to improve hepatitis prevention and early detection.

He explained that the federal government introduced the Hepatitis B vaccine into the National Programme on Immunisation in 2004, ensuring routine vaccination for newborns. However, he noted that many adults born before then remain unprotected and should be screened and vaccinated.

“Most people born before 2004 did not benefit from routine vaccination at birth. All adults should know their hepatitis status, and those who are eligible should be vaccinated,” he said.

Igbiti added that completing the recommended three-dose Hepatitis B vaccination regimen provides protection for more than 30 years, while immunity can be monitored through antibody titre testing, particularly among healthcare workers and other high-risk groups.

He further noted that although there is no vaccine for Hepatitis C, the disease is curable if detected early, stressing that regular follow-up for infected persons is essential to prevent liver damage and improve treatment outcomes.