The Federal Government and the World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday said that hepatitis B birth dose vaccination still remains the best..
The Federal Government and the World Health Organization Tuesday said that hepatitis B birth dose vaccination still remains the best way to reduce the numbers of new infections in the country, because the most vulnerable time for infection is in the first month of life.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, in his address at the WHO virtual high-level meeting to commemorate World Hepatitis Day, said, “Nigeria is endemic for both viral hepatitis B and C. In 2018 Nigeria conducted a National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey which showed a prevalence of 8.1 percent for Hepatitis B and 1.1 percent for Hepatitis C . We could estimate that about 20 million people are chronically infected.
Ehanire added: “One of the major challenges of Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination was the inadequate domestic contribution to finance vaccines and expand access to services. In recent times, Nigeria has made important progress in this area. “We acknowledge the significant work that is required to address prevention of mother to child transmission of viral hepatitis. The robust policy on Reproductive Health, Maternal, New-born, and Child Health to screen all pregnant mothers for HIV, syphilis and viral hepatitis presents a great opportunity that can be strengthened to improve prevention of mother to child transmission of viral hepatitis.
“Achieving at least 90 percent coverage in the region would prevent over 1.5 million new infections and 1.2 million deaths from liver cancer by 2035. Hepatitis B can go undetected for years and their devastating consequences.
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