The Rotary Club of Abuja Crystal has urged Nigerians to regularly do routine checks as it will help in early detection of hepatitis virus.
In a chat with Blueprint newspaper in Dawaki community of the Federal Capital Territory, the President of the Abuja Crystals, Rotn. Oreva-oghene Precious Okoro, said that early detection will help health providers minister the right treatment.
The Regional Director for Africa, World Health Organisation, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, says more than 200,000 people die each year in Nigeria and other parts of Africa due to hepatitis complications such as end-stage liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Okoro, who was represented by immediate past President, Maureen Amaechi, noted that the unwillingness of Nigerians to visit health centres to check their health status has not help in the effort to eradicate the disease.
“Africans don’t like spending money. When they think of going to the hospital to pay money they won’t want to go,” he said.
While noting that a lot of people including health workers have been infected with the disease die to carelessness on their part, Okoro urged people to always wear hand gloves before handing anything that has blood stains on it.
He said: “Most times health workers will be walking and when they see a cotton wool they pick it up without knowing that they are suppose to wear hand gloves at all times before picking up such. Once there is spill of infected blood on any surface it can stay on that surface for 10 days. So when you pick up a cotton wool without been protected you can contact the disease whether as a health worker or not.”
He advised Nigerians to protect themselves before they touch any blood. “Go for your routine checks, take your vaccination. Ice you take vaccine, even if they spill the blood of an infected person on you you are protected,” he explained.
As part of its “zero hepatitis campaign, the Rotary Club of Abuja Crystals took its sensitisation exercise to Dawaki community along Kubwa-Zuba expressway where it offered free hepatitis check up for indigenes of the community.
Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver. It’s commonly caused by a viral infection, but there are other possible causes of hepatitis.
These include autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis that occurs as a secondary result of medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.
