Global community marks "World Hepatitis Day"


The University of Cape Coast Hospital, will from 2016/2017 academic year, start screening freshmen admitted to the University for Hepatitis B and C. This is to enable the University offer assistance to students who may be carrying the Hepatitis virus. 

The Director of University of Cape Coast Hospital, Dr Evans Ekenam disclosed this as the World mark this year’s Hepatitis day.

The theme for this year’s global campaign is ELIMINATION. 

The Cape Coast event was organised by the directorate of University Health Services, University of Cape Coast in collaboration with Hoffman La Roche Pharmaceuticals. 

At the World Health Assembly in May, WHO Member States are set to adopt the first ever Elimination Strategy for Viral Hepatitis, with ambitious targets and a goal to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. 

This will be the first time governments sign up and commit to the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis.

There are five main types of hepatitis viruses referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together are the most common causes of liver cancer and cirrhosis. 

Hepatitis is mostly transmitted through contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood and even sweat. 

Pharmacist John Klu, who represented Roche Pharmaceuticals, said the prevalence rate of Hepatitis in Ghana is very high with some communities having as high as 20% prevalence rate.
 
Speaking to Radio Ghana News, a pathologist, Dr Yaw Asante-Awuku, who is a member of Ghana Hepatitis Society, said it is worrying that treatment of Hepatitis is not covered by the NHIS and appealed to the government to help rectify the situation since most of the people diagnose with the virus find it difficult to bear the cost of treatment.


GBC