Physicians Says- With Swift Action, Elimination Of Hepatitis By 2030 Possible

Medical professionals and the World Health Organization (WHO) are emphasizing that eradicating hepatitis by 2030 is achievable if countries take immediate and collective action.

This urgent call to action was made on the occasion of the 2024 World Hepatitis Day, observed annually on July 28 to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, a liver inflammation that can lead to severe liver disease and cancer.

This year’s theme, “It’s time for action,” underscores the need for swift acceleration in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment efforts to save lives and improve health outcomes.

With a person dying every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness, the WHO highlights that hepatitis B and C are the most prevalent strains, resulting in 1.3 million deaths and 2.2 million new infections annually.

The organization stresses that collective action is crucial to combat the five main strains of the hepatitis virus – A, B, C, D, and E.

“Despite better tools for diagnosis and treatment, decreasing product prices, testing and treatment coverage rates have stalled,” it stated.

The WHO emphasised that reaching the WHO “elimination goal by 2030 should still be achievable if swift action is taken now,” saying that elimination of hepatitis can be a reality if the world works together.

“A liver performs over 500 vital functions every single day to keep us alive, and that’s why testing, treating, and preventing viral hepatitis is important.

“Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, usually caused by a viral infection or non-infectious agents such as drugs, toxins, or alcohol.

“While the five strains of the hepatitis virus cause liver disease, they differ in important ways including modes of transmission, severity of illness, geographical distribution, and how they can be prevented,” it stated.

According to public health and infectious disease experts, a large number of people are living with hepatitis without being diagnosed or treated.

Typically, symptoms only become apparent when the disease has progressed to advanced stages, such as serious liver disease or cancer.

Prof Tanimola Akande, a Public Health Physician at the University of Ilorin, observed that while many countries have implemented policies and programs to control infectious diseases, their execution is often hindered by challenges.

These challenges vary by country and can include inadequate funding, reliance on donors, and failed program implementation.

Nigeria has developed a program to control hepatitis, which includes universal precautions in healthcare settings and policies for controlling sexually transmitted infections.

Akande stressed the importance of early detection through screening, effective case management, and free treatment in mitigating the burden of the disease.

On the risk factors, he Emphasized, “The risk factors include risky sexual behaviours, substance use, improper use and disposal of sharps and needles, use of contaminated blood for transfusion, mother to child transmission, scarification among others.

“The government needs to implement policies and guidelines for the control of Hepatitis. The control measures should be well-funded at all levels.

“Awareness through health education and sensitisation of citizens need to be increased at all levels of government. There is a need for improved awareness on preventive measures to drive behavioural change among Nigerians.”

Akande stressed that the implementation of control programmes targeting the disease is heavily donor-dependent, insisting that the government should aim at improving funding for the control programmes.

“Nigerians should change risky sexual behaviours, and ensure blood donors are well screened. Nigerians should also ensure they take advantage of screening for the infection for early detection and treatment,” he said.

Professor Godwin Jombo, a specialist in Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease at Benue State University, advocated for the establishment of screening centers nationwide to enhance Nigeria’s testing capacity and preventive treatment capabilities.

He emphasized the importance of vigilance and surveillance in preventing infectious disease outbreaks, stressing that a robust network of screening centers would facilitate early detection and containment of outbreaks, thereby reducing their spread.

“This is why we need to invest in higher and stronger drugs. With this, we are talking about investing in preventive treatment, which is a way to end the disease globally and in Nigeria,” he said.

Professor Jombo further emphasized that hepatitis-related deaths can be prevented and eliminated by providing simplified care services for viral hepatitis.

This can be achieved by ensuring that all pregnant women living with chronic hepatitis B have access to treatment, and their infants receive hepatitis B birth vaccines to prevent infection.

Additionally, he noted that at least 90% of people living with hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C need to be diagnosed, and 80% of those diagnosed need to be either cured of hepatitis C or treated according to the newer hepatitis B expanded eligibility criteria, in order to effectively combat the disease.