• Plans to subsidise vaccination
• 1.2m living with Hepatitis B in Kano, says commissioner
As Nigeria joins the global community to mark World Hepatitis Day, Ogun State government, yesterday, said it would start the screening of over 200,000 residents, including pregnant women and newborn babies, as well as youths and healthcare workers, to curb viral transmission of the disease between 2025 and 2026.
This was just as it planned to launch the Hepatitis Data Dashboard to monitor progress and ensure accountability after screening and vaccination exercise in schools, markets, religious centres and clinics across the 20 local councils of the state.
Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, disclosed this during a media briefing to mark World Hepatitis Day, in collaboration with Emzor Pharmaceutical, with the theme, “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down,” held in Abeokuta, the state capital.
Coker said that the Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration decided to consider 200,000 pregnant women and newborn babies because of their vulnerability, youths because of their risky behaviours and health workers because of their occupational hazards.
She also said that the Ministry of Health would engage broadcast media, including the radio and television and social media, such as Facebook, to sensitise, counter myths and share real stories to citizens about the disease, as well as offering webinars for healthcare workers to improve their skills on prevention, diagnosis, and management of the disease.
The commissioner said that all infants, who missed vaccination in infancy, healthcare workers, particularly surgeons, people with multiple sexual partners, and pregnant women, should get immunised.
RELATEDLY, Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran, has said that an estimated 1.2 million people are currently living with Hepatitis B in the state.
Labaran said this during a media briefing yesterday, in Kano, to commemorate the 2025 World Hepatitis Day.
He said preliminary data showed that the prevalence rate of Hepatitis B in the state stands at over six per cent, aligning with national trends.
The commissioner, however, expressed concern that the virus, though preventable and treatable, often goes undetected, leading to serious complications, such as liver cancer and cirrhosis.
He said that the state government was intensifying efforts to reduce the burden of the disease through early diagnosis, access to treatment and integration of services into routine healthcare delivery.
Besides, he said that the Ministry of Health had adopted a person-centred approach, focusing on pregnant women and other high-risk groups.
