By CrossRiverWatch Admin
The Cross River State Government has said it is organising a free medical outreach today, August 1, 2018 for residents with Hepatitis B and C.
The outreach will hold at the UCTH health outpost in Odukpani and is in collaboration with the Society for Gastroentology and Hepatology in Nigeria and the Cross River Chapter of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria.
The commissioner for health, Dr. Inyang Asibong disclosed this during the weekend on a breakfast television show, ‘Good Morning Cross River’ monitored by CrossRiverWatch.
The show is aired Mondays through Saturdays on the state owned CRBC and runs between 6 and 9 AM.
“Viral hepatitis B and C are major health challenges, affecting 325 million people globally. They are root causes of liver cancer, leading to 1.34 million deaths every year,” Asibong said.
This, Asibong said, is part of the activities lined up to celebrate the 2018 edition of the World Hepatitis Day which had as its theme: “Test, Treat Hepatitis.”
And the outreach is themed: “Finding the Missing Millions,” which Asibong said is in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) objective to find the undiagnosed in the society and link them to care in a bid to eliminate the virus completely.
This, according to her can be achieved by placing emphasis on a scale up in hepatitis prevention, testing, treatment and care services, with specific focus on promoting the WHO’s recommendations which are to showcase best practices, promotion of hepatitis services and to improve partnerships and funding in the fight against viral hepatitis.
This will be the second edition with about 1000 civil servants last year being diagnosed for Hepatitis B and C.
Free tests and treatment were conducted as well as instant vaccination of people with no trace or symptoms of the virus in their bloodstream while the state sensitised the public on the disease.
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.
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