It is possible to eradicate hepatitis, says Professor Aziato
The existence of efficient Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C vaccines and therapies, according to Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), is a promising sign that their eradication is possible.
But she said that doing so requires increased knowledge of the illness, a comprehension of the hazards, and access to less expensive diagnostic and therapeutic options.
At a forum held in Ho to commemorate World Hepatitis Day this year, Professor Aziato was the guest speaker.
The Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases (GASLIDD) and the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH) jointly organized the program, which had the theme “One Life, One Liver.”
We are at a turning point that calls for greater political commitment. Without immediate action, deaths will continue to rise and the epidemic will continue to spread, according to Professor Aziato. Viral hepatitis has been included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the world’s first global hepatitis strategy has just been adopted. Professor Aziato
Significant gaps in vaccine coverage still exist in some nations, she claimed, and more hepatitis cases and fatalities may be avoided with the help of vaccines and other practical prevention measures, including safe blood transfusion, safe injection, harm reduction, and treatments or cures for Hepatitis B and C.
As COVID-19 was no longer a global health emergency, the vice chancellor stated that it was now time to prioritize a hepatitis-free world and achieve the worldwide 2030 targets.
She claimed that the ongoing achievement in lowering childhood Hepatitis B infections demonstrated the possibility of advancement.
To ensure that 90% of people with hepatitis B and C get diagnosed, that all pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B have access to treatment, and that their infants have access to birth vaccines to prevent infection, she said that there is an urgent need for simplified primary care services for viral hepatitis.
Professor Aziato said that necessary steps needed to be taken to guarantee that 80% of those diagnosed received a cure or treatment in accordance with the more recent enlarged qualifying requirements.
According to Professor Yaw Asante Awuku, President of the GASLIDD, the World Health Organization (WHO) wants to eradicate hepatitis by 2030. Professor Aziato
In a recent screening program jointly run by the HTH and GASLIDD, he added, 10% of the 930 participants tested positive for hepatitis and 2% for hepatitis C.
Professor Awuku reported that 600 people had received hepatitis vaccinations in the meanwhile.
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