In a recent town hall meeting to commemorate World Hepatitis Day, WHD in Jalingo, Taraba State, Dr. Danjuma Adda, former President of the World Hepatitis Alliance and Executive Director of the Centre for Initiative and Development (CFID), highlighted the growing threat of hepatitis as the second leading cause of death worldwide, following only the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adda’s alarming revelation emphasizes the urgent need for increased awareness, prevention, and treatment efforts to combat the hepatitis crisis in Taraba and across Nigeria.
He expressed concern over the substandard equipment used in blood transfusions, noting that many testing kits in Nigeria fail to effectively detect the virus due to their low quality.
Dr. Adda called for a collective effort to improve hepatitis testing and treatment, urging governments at all levels to invest in high-quality test kits. He also appealed to religious and traditional leaders to ensure that equipment used in children’s circumcision is properly sterilized.
Lamenting the high mortality rate due to viral hepatitis in Nigeria, Dr. Adda estimated that approximately 20 million Nigerians live with the disease, and 1.3 million die annually. He criticized the lack of attention given to hepatitis compared to HIV, stating that “hepatitis patients often have to pay for treatment, diagnosis, and cures.”
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Echoing Dr. Adda’s sentiments, Dr. Tukura Nyigwa, Executive Secretary of the Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency (TSPHCDA), through the agency’s Head of Medical Laboratory Service, Gemson Linus, highlighted the agency’s efforts in monitoring and enhancing the quality of hepatitis-related services across the state’s health facilities.
Dr. Nyigwa affirmed that the agency has significantly contributed to improved health outcomes and a more robust health system capable of addressing the hepatitis epidemic.
“Our agency has been instrumental in providing critical interventions, such as vaccines and immunization, to protect communities from the disease. We are committed to ensuring equitable access to these essential services, especially for the most vulnerable populations,” Dr. Nyigwa stated.
Various stakeholders, including the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria Youth Wing, the Muslim Council of Nigeria, and the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria, vowed to join forces with CFID to raise awareness about hepatitis testing in Taraba.
Human rights lawyer Gloria Sotennge, living with hepatitis B, called on governments to uphold their responsibilities by investing more in testing and diagnosis for hepatitis B and C, emphasizing the right of Nigerians to access necessary hepatitis services.
