ARD raises alarm over low awareness on hepatitis in Nigeria

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta (FMCA), has raised the alarm over low level of awareness of Hepatitis disease in Nigeria.

The association has therefore reiterated the need for Nigerians to go for hepatitis screening, describing the viral infection as a silent killer.

It advised that people should not wait till they get sick before going to the hospital for medical check.

ARD said this during a medical outreach it organised in Abeokuta, conjunction with Babarinde-Adegboyega ARD (BAARD) Concept.

The medical outreach on hepatitis was held at Odo-Eran, Gbonagun, Abeokuta, where members of the public were enlightened on the viral disease that currently had no cure.

Addressing members of the public, President of ARD FMCA, Dr. Adegboyega Omogbolahan, said the outreach, which was to mark the World Hepatitis Day, was an annual event to showcase participation and sponsorship in line with the core beliefs of BAARD to improve lives of the general public.

He said, this was done through medical outreach programmes, health talks, medical consultations, treatments and prevention strategies including vaccination.

Omogbolahan spoke extensively on the precarious nature of Hepatitis B and C infection and the need to get tested.

He said Nigerians needed adequate information on the cause of the dreaded disease, how to avoid it, and how people could get screened for hepatitis in various health facilities.

With Hepatitis B prevalence in between 8.1-9.5 per cent of the population, Omogbolahan said about 20 million Nigerians were estimated to be affected with the hepatitis B virus while about one per cent, 2.2 million, was estimated with hepatitis C.

According to him, viral hepatitis remains a disease of public health importance.

He said there was limited global progress in addressing the scourge with increasing vertical transmission (mother to child transmission) as well.

Omogbolahan said, “there is a low level of awareness, under-reporting, under-diagnosis, and under-treatment of hepatitis B and C in Nigeria.

“I call on the private sector to explore mutually beneficial partnerships with the government and invest their resources in fighting viral hepatitis.

“I urge all Nigerians to work together to eliminate this silent killer, viral hepatitis. Go to any health facility and get screened, it is a simple rapid test, taking less than five minutes.”

Speaking on the 2025 World Hepatitis Day, Omogbolahan said the organisation decided to collaborate with the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, ARD, with support from the Ogun State government as part of its contribution to create awareness on the dreaded disease.

He said the choice of hosting the event at the Odo-Eran market in Obantoko, Odeda Local Government Area of Ogun State, was to focus on market men and women, infant vaccination, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, blood and injection safety, harm reduction and diagnosis and treatment.

The idea, according to him, was to do the checks to be sure if a person was a carrier or not. Though being a carrier, in his words, was not a death sentence. He said all what infected persons needed to do was visit the hospital and commence treatment and if not, get a vaccine.

He stated, “Hepatitis is a disease of the liver, it has different types, Hepatitis A, B, C, D and E.

“Hepatitis B is the deadliest and stubborn. But with vaccine and regular check up in the hospital, one can live with it, though till this very moment, it has no cure.”

The medical doctor said BAARD will need the collaboration of a broad range of stakeholders in order to take the message and awareness to the grassroots.

He said it was necessary to check one’s status to start early treatment, adding that the disease is manageable. He maintained that not knowing one’s status was highly risky.

Other speakers at the event were Dr. Issa Kamorudeen Jimoh from CMPC, who encouraged people to participate in the exercise by advising them to check their Hepatitis status so as not to infect others and to be safety conscious.

He stated that the disease could be transmitted from a pregnant mother to the baby, and it could be transmitted through any blood to blood and fluid to fluid contact in the body with background injuries.

Dr. Idrees Jimoh and Dr. Badmus Tajudeen Adeolu, both senior registrars in the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology also did excellently well in breaking down the medical modes of transmission, treatment and preventive strategies, while also taking questions and answers from the public.

The senior registrars and Dr. Elemide Olusegun also participated in screening as well as interpretation of results and lots more.

Mrs. Adu Olufunke, a representative of the State Ministry of Health, Dept. of Public Health, and State Programme Coordinator HIV and AIDS/Hepatitis and STI Control Programme, in her speech, encouraged school age children to be careful not to share sharp objects in school, as this could increase the risk of contracting the disease.

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