Nigeria, today join the global community to mark World Hepatitis day, a day set aside to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that causes severe liver disease and liver cancer.
The theme for this year, “Hepatitis, Let’s Break It Down”, calls for urgent action to dismantle the financial, social and systemic barriers, including stigma, that stand in the way of hepatitis elimination and liver cancer prevention.
The World Health Organisation, WHO, in its reports indicate that Chronic hepatitis B and C, silently cause liver damage and cancer, despite being preventable, treatable, and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable.
The theme emphasizes the need to simplify, scale up, and integrate hepatitis vaccination, safe injection practices, harm reduction and especially testing and treatment into national health systems.
The campaign is a reminder for action to expand access, integrate care, and end hepatitis as a public health problem by 2030
Reporting by Akinboye Akintola