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The Ondo State government has advised residents to make themselves available for hepatitis screening and know their status.
Dayo Faduyile, the special adviser on health to the Ondo State government, gave the advice in an interview in Akure on Sunday.
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the tissues of the liver. The five types of viral hepatitis are A, B, C, D and E.
According to Mr Faduyile, testing is important in finding the millions of people unaware they have the infection and can prevent it among newborns.
The former president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) noted that it is important for people to go for regular screening for hepatitis for early detection and treatment.
“Nigerians, especially residents of Ondo state, should make themselves available on regular hepatitis screening for early detection and treatment. Everyone must go to the nearby facility and get screened,” Mr Faduyile said.
According to him, the symptoms of the disease include abdominal pain, yellowness of the eyes and skin, fever, feeling very sick, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting with indigestion.
He explained that Hepatitis A could only be contracted through contaminated food and water, while Hepatitis B, C and D could be contracted through blood transfusion, sexual intercourse, exposure to other body fluids and mother to child in the womb.
Mr Faduyile identified Hepatitis B, C and D as “the deadly ones.”
He, however, advocated for safe sex practice, as the infection can be transmitted through blood, sharing needles and mother-to-child transmission.
Me Faduyile, who said “prompt treatment is the gold standard”, stated that the symptomatic, if not quickly attended to, might lead to fulminant hepatitis and massive liver death.
He listed other complications as; acute liver failure, chronic liver disease, liver cirrhosis, liver cancer and ultimately death.
While noting that the prevalence of infection is high, the former NMA president said the lack of awareness about the disease could be linked to many deaths.
Mr Faduyile said there are vaccines readily available and affordable that could protect people against hepatitis.
(NAN)
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