Aware of the stigma and discrimination impact on people living with hepatitis, media organizations have been urged to see the need to disseminate accurate information and awareness in a bid to sensitise people against stigmatization and discrimination of persons with the disease.
The Programme Manager of Women and Children Health Empowerment Foundation (WACHEF), Wisdom Christopher, who made the call yesterday in Jalingo, Taraba state, also beckoned on the media to help create the necessary awareness of male involvement in Anti Natal Care (ANC) to help prevent mother to child transmission of the disease.
She made the call at a sensitization campaign organized by the WACHEF in collaboration with the Islamic Medical Association of Nigeria (IMAN) while commemorating World Hepatitis Day 2022.
Stressing the determination of the organization to tread extra legitimate miles to bring to an end stigmatization and discrimination of hepatitis patients, for their dreams to be actualised, the media, as suggested by her, also need to actively get involved.
The Programme Officer who also doubles as the Acting Executive Director said hepatitis prevalence is on the increase hence the need for all hands to be on deck to eliminate the disease.
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Citing the report from the world hepatitis alliance which confirmed that almost 300 million people globally are living with chronic hepatitis B, most of the causes, according to her, emanated as a result of mother to child transmission.
Vehemently beckoning at the male partners to encourage their pregnant wives to take advantage of accessing the various ANC facilities spread across the state and the country at large, doing that, she believed would go a long to eradicate the prevalence of the disease in the state and the country as a whole.
The organization, which our correspondent noticed to have gone as far as creating awareness on hepatitis virus, testing, vaccination and male involvement in ANC among others, said they will not go to bed pending when the virus is totally eliminated from the state.
The exercise which took place at the Sabongeri primary school in Jalingo metropolis, which according to her was free of charge, was observed to have led to a massive turnout of persons who availed themselves for testing and vaccination.
Some of those tested who bared their minds to our state correspondent said the exercise has no doubt made it possible for them to know their hepatitis status.
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