The
Gambia through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and its partners
yesterday joined the rest of the world to observe World Hepatitis Day.
This
year’s theme is: “Know hepatitis – Act now” with the aim of increasing global
awareness, as well as strengthening prevention, diagnosis and treatment
services.
Speaking
at the event held at the Central Medical Store in Kotu, Dr Patrick Abok of WHO,
who delivered a statement on behalf of the WHO regional director for Africa,
said viral hepatitis, an infection of the liver caused by five distinct
hepatitis viruses, is a highly widespread public health problem in Africa.
He
said it is similar to other major communicable diseases, including HIV,
tuberculosis and malaria.
According
to him, all five hepatitis viruses could cause severe disease, but the highest
numbers of deaths result from liver cancer and cirrhosis - a condition in which
there is irreversible scarring of the liver.
This
occurs after several years of chronic hepatitis B or C infection, he said,
adding that in the African region, hepatitis B affects an estimated 100 million
people and it is also estimated that 19 million adults in the region are
chronically infected with hepatitis C.
However,
he added, most people with chronic viral hepatitis are not aware of their
infection and do not receive appropriate treatment.
He
urged all member states in the African region to use the World Hepatitis Day as
a viral opportunity to step up national efforts on hepatitis and to spur action
to implement the strategy on viral hepatitis.
Also
speaking, Ramatoulie Sarr, deputy permanent secretary at the Ministry of
Health, said the world has ignored hepatitis at its peril and it is time to
mobilise a global response to hepatitis on the scale similar to that generated
to fight other communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
However,
she added, with the adoption of the resolution on the 2030 agenda for
sustainable development, viral hepatitis pandemic would no longer remain
hidden; target 3 is of particular relevance as it calls for specific action to
combat viral hepatitis.
Sheriff
Badjie, deputy programme manager, National Aids Control Programme (NACP), said
viral hepatitis infection is widely spread, affecting 400 million people
worldwide over 10 times the number of people infected with HIV.
He
explained that globally about 1.4 million people die each year from hepatitis
and it is estimated that only 5 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis know
of their infection and less than 1 per cent have access to treatment.
As
a result, he said, WHO urged countries to take rapid action to improve
knowledge about the disease and to increase access to testing and treatment
services to reduce needless deaths from this preventable and treatable
infection.
