Stopping the spread of Hepatitis B

Viral hepatitis has become a national and global public health challenge. There are five distinct forms of the disease – A, B, C, D and E – each attributed to a different type of virus. Chronic forms of Hepatitis B and C cause 95 per cent of hepatitis-related sicknesses and untimely deaths.

The spread of hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV), like HIV, is fuelled by unsafe sexual behaviour and injection practices, unsafe blood transfusion, and other harmful practices such as sharing of toothbrushes or sharp objects for scarification marks, tattoos, and mother-to-child transmission.

Sadly, most people who have serious forms of the disease, particularly the B and C viruses, are unaware of the infection. This allows the infection to spread unchecked, leading to serious damage to the liver.

AS the global community celebrates this year’s World Hepatitis Day today, themed, “We Are Not Waiting,” stakeholders are highlighting the rising prevalence of the disease in Nigeria and the urgency of taking more effective action to tackle it. 

By The Punch 

https://punchng.com/strong-action-needed-to-stop-hepatitis-spread/