WHO: Over 82m Nigerians, Other Africans Untreated for Hepatitis

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Over 82 million people living with hepatitis in Nigeria and other African countries do not receive the care they need for testing and treatment, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, in a message to commemorate this year’s World Hepatitis Day 2023, said infection with the hepatitis B virus is preventable by vaccination, while doctors can now successfully treat hepatitis C, caused by the hepatitis C virus, with antiviral drugs.

She further disclosed that hepatitis causes the breakdown of the liver’s normal structure, which prevents the liver from working correctly.
Moeti, therefore, called on countries and critical stakeholders to work towards scaling up hepatitis B immunisation coverage to reach the globally agreed target of 90 per cent, particularly by introducing the hepatitis birth dose.

She said: “The theme for this year’s World Hepatitis Day, “One Life, One Liver” seeks to emphasise the link between viral hepatitis infection and liver inflammation – that is, liver injury and damage – and the broader issues of liver health and primary health care.  

“Hepatitis B is commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery. Hepatitis B is also spread through contact with blood or other body fluids during sex with an infected partner, unsafe injections, or exposure to sharp instruments.

“Hepatitis C is spread through contact with the blood of an infected person by unscreened blood transfusions, sharing needles, and unsafe sexual practices that lead to direct exposure to blood.

“More than 91 million Africans are living with hepatitis. In 2019, an estimated 1.2 million new hepatitis infections and 125,000 hepatitis-related deaths occurred in the African Region. Deaths occur mostly among the young and productive segments of the population.

“WHO’s global hepatitis strategy, endorsed by all WHO Member States, and the Framework for an Integrated Multisectoral Response to TB, HIV, STIs, and Hepatitis in the WHO African Region aims to reduce new hepatitis infections by 90 percent and deaths by 65 percent by 2030.

“WHO supports regional and national efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 by providing clear guidance for decentralised and simplified person-centered prevention, testing, and treatment of viral hepatitis, including eliminating hepatitis B through birth dose vaccination (the day of birth or the day after).

“A lot still needs to be done to reduce hepatitis-related deaths and infections. Despite the availability of diagnostic tools and effective treatment, more than 90 per cent of people living with hepatitis in Africa do not receive the care they need, and less than 10 per cent of the population has access to testing and treatment. This leads to progressive advanced liver disease, devastating financial burden, emotional distress, and stigma. Testing and treatment, as a public health approach, remains the most neglected aspect of the response.”