Strange hepatitis among Ondo residents worries government

There is concern in government quarters in Ondo State following the discovery of a peculiar strain of hepatitis infection among patients.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Health Matters, Simidele Odimayo, gave the indication in Akure on Saturday on the sidelines of a sensitisation road walk to mark the World Hepatitis Day.

Mr Odimayo said the state government was, however, trying to know more about the peculiarity to tackle it accordingly.

“The state government has observed that there is a peculiarity in the viral hepatitis that we have in the state. We have seen people with low viral load in hepatitis coming up with complications, ” he said.

The special adviser explained that ordinarily, the low viral load by the European Community for Hepatitis does not need treatment.

“But in our own case, these patients with low viral load are coming with complications of hepatitis like liver cancer,” he further noted.

According to him, patients will undergo viral loading and genotyping, while the samples will be sent for sequencing.

“This will enable us to know the peculiarity of hepatitis we are having here,” he said.

Mr Odimayo said those who were positive for hepatitis would be structured for further tests and possible commencement of treatment.

He said the state governor was passionate and concerned about the well-being of the people, adding that the populace needed to enjoy free hepatitis screening and education on its prevention.

He said the governor had given the mandate to tackle the infection and that the exercise would capture at least 3,000 people for free screening across the state.

Meanwhile the Commissioner for Health in the state, Banji Ajaka, has said that the state government is in the process of securing additional financing running into several billions of Naira from development partners that will be used to enhance the health services.

Mr Ajaka also spoke in commemoration of the World Hepatitis Day with the theme, ‘It is time to act,’ with focus on improving access of the populace to diagnosis and treatment.

He described Hepatitis as a viral infection that targets the liver, causing inflammation and affecting its ability to function properly.

He said the liver is a very important organ in the body that is responsible for several functions, including breakdown of food and drugs and production of blood among others.

He noted that any disease of the liver therefore has dire consequences.

“There are several types of Hepatitis but the commonest ones, which are of public health concerns, are Hep A, B, C, and E. Hepatitis A and E are transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food or water. It is often associated with poor sanitation.

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“Hep B & C are usually transmitted through contact with infectious body fluids such as blood and sexual fluids through practices (similar to transmission of HIV virus) such as sexual acts, blood transfusion, sharing of contaminated needles and transmission from mother to child, among others,” Mr Ajaka said.

He emphasised the need for prevention, which is hinged on well-established strategies like immunisation, compulsory screening of blood and blood products, strict guidelines on sterilisation of medical instruments and ban on reuse of needles.

“The clinical features of Hepatitis can vary widely. Some individuals may not experience any clinical features while others may experience mild or severe symptoms. It can also present as acute illness, which may be resolved within days or weeks, or progress to chronic illness.

“The common features include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine and jaundice,” he said.

The health commissioner advised pregnant women to always insist on screening for Hepatitis B and encouraged them to deliver in hospitals where they can have access to skilled birth attendants and sterile instruments.

He noted that this would prevent mother-to-child transmission, and if any mother is already infected with Hep B, drugs will be administered to the baby immediately after birth.

Mr Ajaka reiterated that the government would continue to create awareness among the public to embrace immunisation, hospital deliveries and avoid patronising quacks.

He also informed that the government was set to commence the screening and regulation of food vendors in the state, which he said was the first step to ridding the state of Hepatitis A and E that are contracted through food ingestion.