As the world celebrate International Hepatitis Day, a Nigerian medical expert has joined the rest of the world by urging the federal government to redouble effort in the fight against Hepatitis, the killer disease.
The school director, School of Health Science in Kaduna, Maryam Abubakar, said the centre for Disease Control has revealed that over 400 million people across the world were infected with chronic viral Hepatitis A.B,C ,D & E,without their knowledge.
She said, ”Hepatitis is the seventh lead killer disease in the universe today,which is more dangerous than HIV/Aids or Malaria, Tuberculosis TB, and other deadly diseases that duly need the attention of every stakeholder to combat.”
She explained that the common symptoms of Hepatitis is loss of appetite, Fatigue, Mild fever, Muscle or joint aches, Nausea, Pain in your belly, calling on Nigerians to pay much attention to their health and desist from what could cause any health challenges to their lives.
“More than 1.4 million people every year died of this disease without their knowledge due to poor awareness on the danger of the disease and poor access to Hepatitis treatment services,” she stressed.
The World Hepatitis day is currently recognized in over 100 World Health Organisation member countries with millions of people across the world taking part.
The Director pointed out that there was the need for both state and federal governments, Philantropists, humanitarian organizations and Non –Governmental Organization to intensity effort on the fight against Hepatitis in the country.
In his remark, an expert in Anatomy, Mallam Abdulhakeen Miko, said that It was now clear that the message from Doctors to patients across all the 36 states of Nigeria is for one to report his/her sickness on time before it’s too late.
Miko said Over 90 per cent of people with Hepatitis C could be completely cured of the virus within 3–6 months, adding that with appropriate treatment of hepatitis B and C, it could prevent the development of the major life-threatening complications of chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
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