The Ondo State Government said it has discovered there is a peculiarity in hepatitis infection among hepatitis patients in the state.
The Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Health Matters, Prof. Simidele Odimayo, disclosed this in Akure on Saturday after a sensitisation road walk to mark the World Hepatitis Day.
The World Health Organisation endorsed July 27 of every year to create awareness about hepatitis and how to eliminate the viral infection globally.
The theme for the 2024 edition is: “It’s Time for Action.”
Mr Odimayo explained that 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 further explained that ordinarily, the low viral load by the European Community for Hepatitis doesn’t need treatment.
“But in our own case, these patients with low viral load are coming with complications of hepatitis like liver cancer. Then, we have looked at it to know the type of hepatitis that our people are having,” Mr Odimayo said.
According to him, patients will undergo viral loading and genotyping, while the samples will be sent for sequencing.
He stated, “This will enable us to know the peculiarity of hepatitis we are having here.”
Mr Odimayo said those who tested positive to hepatitis would be structured for further tests and possible commencement of treatment.
He added that 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 also noted that the governor gave the mandate to tackle the infection and that the exercise would capture at least 3,000 people for free screening across the state.
Mr Odimayo said his office, in conjunction with the state Ministry of Health, had interacted with major stakeholders so that the government could place hepatitis patients in hospitals for treatment.
The state Chairman of the Young Medical Laboratory Scientists’ Forum, Mr Kehinde Ayedapo, said the forum partnered the Office of the Special Adviser to ensure the well-being of residents.
He regretted that hepatitis was less talked about with little awareness about the infection from non-governmental organisations in the country.
According to him, most people get to hear about the infection only when they become sick or want to donate blood.
He said the forum would, therefore, get to all nooks and crannies of the state to create more awareness of the infection, describing it as contagious and deadly.
(NAN)