Hepatitis is a health emergency in Nigeria ROBERTO TABOADA urges a comprehensive awareness campaign to sensitive people, including health professionals to the epidemic
Over 20 million Nigerians are estimated by the WHO to have either hepatitis B, C, or both; yet, over 80% of those affected are unaware of their condition. This presents an alarming and startling image of an epidemic that has managed to go unnoticed, surpassing the combined death toll from HIV, TB, and malaria.
It is no longer possible to ignore this silent murderer. But the numbers raise a clear question: "Why hasn't hepatitis received more coverage?" Viral hepatitis: What is it? The inflammation of the liver is known as hepatitis. Hepatitis comes in a variety of forms, and each is unique. Some forms of hepatitis can resolve on their own, depending on the strain (A, B, C, D, or E). But if they go misdiagnosed and untreated, some strains can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer, or fibrosis (scarring).
Ingesting tainted food or water is the usual cause of hepatitis A and E, according to the WHO. Parenteral contact with contaminated bodily fluids typically results in the development of hepatitis B, C, and D. Receiving contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures employing contaminated equipment, and sexual contact are common ways for these viruses to spread. Hepatitis B can also spread from mother to kid at birth and from family member to child.
I talked to Dr. Danjuma Adda to get some understanding of the real situation about hepatitis in Nigeria. Dr. Adda is a licensed physician who specializes in public health. Her personal experience with hepatitis B serves as a powerful example of the psychological, social, and physical obstacles that those impacted by this hidden epidemic must overcome. While working on comorbidities clinical diagnoses on patient samples in a hospital setting in 2004, Dr. Adda became infected with hepatitis B. He was surprised to learn that, while post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV was available, he was not offered any for Hepatitis B six months after receiving his diagnosis. To put it another way, hepatitis B post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can be used to reduce the risk of contracting hepatitis B following potential exposure to the virus.
This harsh truth brought to Dr. Adda's attention a serious omission in medical procedures at the time. The difficult chore of telling his future wife about his status in a culture that was, at best, ignorant about the causes and consequences of hepatitis also accompanied the diagnosis. He was really anxious about working in healthcare in the future. Fortunately for Dr. Adda and his spouse, bravery and support from one another won over. The doctor told his wife about his sexual orientation a year later, and the couple—along with their five kids—have been bearing the weight of Dr. Adda's treatment ever since.
Dr. Adda suffered yet another devastating loss in 2007 when his mother passed away from liver cancer as a result of hepatitis C infection.
The medical practitioner who made the diagnosis had not treated the patient since the diagnosis was made years earlier.
In actuality, he concluded that there was no need for alarm because "everyone has hepatitis," according to Dr. Adda.
As a specialist in public health, Dr. Adda witnessed directly the ignorance surrounding viral hepatitis, both in the surrounding populations and among medical professionals.
His experiences led him to found a foundation that aims to improve patient and healthcare professional access to diagnosis, treatment, and education.
Since then, Dr. Adda has held the positions of first African WHA President and member of the World Hepatitis Alliance's (WHA) Executive Board for Africa (2014–2016). The Doctor's tireless efforts and committed advocacy are priceless. But he's not going to win this battle alone.
The governmental and corporate sectors, local communities, and funding organizations must work together to manage the hepatitis pandemic in Nigeria and throughout Africa. The issue in Nigeria is made worse by the absence of ongoing medical education for medical practitioners, especially when it comes to diagnosing patients. Dr. Adda's accounts indicate that many medical professionals, including nurses, continue to treat hepatitis with antiquated information from medical school. The disparity amongst healthcare professionals indicates a large knowledge-dissemination gap. This is the reason why many healthcare professionals are ill-prepared to manage and counsel on hepatitis effectively because new guidelines from organizations like the World Health Organization and EASL (The European Association for the Study of the Liver) frequently do not reach the frontlines.
Initiatives for testing and community-based awareness programs are essential to addressing these issues. The public's awareness of viral hepatitis may rise dramatically as a result of media outlets like radio and television. NGOs and neighborhood health organizations are essential in raising awareness and promoting volunteer testing, particularly in underprivileged areas. Additionally, the Nigerian government ought to hold more candid conversations about implementing coordinated measures to combat viral hepatitis in collaboration with stakeholders in the private sector, healthcare professionals, and the general public.
In practice, this would mean finding creative ways to fund it, streamlining the infrastructure of diagnostic labs, and giving all Nigerian patients—even those in the most remote areas—priority access to testing and care. Prioritizing ongoing medical education for healthcare workers is necessary to guarantee that patients' primary points of contact are informed about the most recent guidelines and treatments. Reducing the startling death and morbidity rates in Nigeria requires making hepatitis treatment a public health priority. We can come closer to meeting WHO's 2030 targets of identifying 80% of cases of hepatitis and treating 90% of cases by raising awareness, developing effective education programs, and working together to upgrade healthcare infrastructure.
Imagine if we raised the voices of a few million more people to tell our communities that everyone has the right to be screened for a better chance at life and that everyone has the right to obtain life-saving care when treatment is required.
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