Over 4000 deaths have been recorded in Nigeria annually, due to liver cancer caused by untreated hepatitis. Additionally, Nigeria loses between N13 trillion and N17.9trillion yearly in direct and indirect costs due to hepatitis.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Mohammed Pate, on Monday, during the commemoration of world hepatitis day. Pate expressed that Nigeria has the third highest burden of hepatitis globally, with over 20 million people infected.
18.2 million people are living with Hepatitis B, while 2.5 million Nigerians are infected with Hepatitis C. According to Pate, over 90 percent of those infected are undiagnosed and unknowingly transmit the virus to others, including children.
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Talking about the symptoms, fever, fatigue and malaise, among others, are the symptoms which are often misdiagnosed as malaria. The minister emphasized that while these symptoms are being treated with self-medication, the virus silently damages the liver, which may result in liver cancer.
Moreover, despite the availability of vaccination and treatment, 4,252 Nigerians die each year from liver cancer caused by the untreated virus. In response, the federal government has launched Project 365, a nationwide treatment campaign aimed at eradicating hepatitis across Nigeria.
The initiative aims to interrupt the transmission of Hepatitis B in Nigeria by 2030, through constituency screening and medical evaluation. Also, financial support and regulatory reforms are among other measures revealed by the federal government to curb the virus.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), hepatitis is caused by different infectious and non-infectious elements. The inflammation of the liver leads to health problems, including liver damage and cancer, which can be fatal.
The virus types, namely A, B, C, D and E, vary in transmission, geographical distribution and prevention methods.
