Over 23,000 Nasarawa residents test positive for hepatitis

No less than 23,224 Nasarawa State residents have tested positive for viral Hepatitis B and C, according to the state government.

At a press conference conducted on Monday in Lafia to mark World Hepatitis Day 2023, with the theme "We are not waiting, one life, and one liver," the Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Janet Angbazo, revealed this.

She stated that 23,224 out of 229,682 residents who were screened for the condition had positive results.

According to Angbazo, some of the afflicted people were receiving treatment in public hospitals spread out throughout the state's 13 local government districts.

She said, “I am here today to bring attention to the high burden of Hepatitis B and C in Nasarawa State, which surpasses the national average.

“Recognising the urgency of this issue, the Nasarawa State government has committed to a five-year hepatitis B and C elimination plan. This ambitious plan aims to treat approximately 124,000 individuals within the next five years.”

The Permanent Secretary further urged the populace to participate in HBV and HCV testing in government hospitals located throughout the state's 13 LGAs and abstain from using unsterilized sharp objects, sharing needles or syringes, and transfusing unscreened blood or blood products.

Source