NGO Calls For Sectorial Approach In The Fight Against Hepatitis B

THINK HEALTH, a Non-Governmental Organisation, is calling for a more coordinated, integrated and inter-sectorial approach in Ghana, in the fight against Hepatitis B, in view of the devastating effects of the disease on the socio economic fortunes of the country. A statement signed by the Executive Director of Think Health, Richard Kofi Boahen, further called for intensive education on the disease, especially in the media, to drum home the need for all hands to be on deck in dealing with the Hepatitis B virus which, according to the WHO, is hundred times more infectious than the HIV virus. The statement, which was issued in Sunyani to commemorate this year�s World Hepatitis Day, appealed to the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service and other stakeholders to step up their efforts at controlling the disease. As a result of the high prevalence of Hepatitis B in Ghana, Think Health is proposing a free Hepatitis B test in all public health facilities across the country, as a way of encouraging more Ghanaians, especially the poor, to know their status as far as the disease was concerned. This would further encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles and avoid acts that could put them at a higher risk of being infected with the disease. The results of the free test would also ensure that those who test positive would be put on treatment. Think Health is also of the view that government should set up a special fund to financially support organizations which are into Hepatitis B control programs in the country. According to Think Health, Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease, adding that the virus is transmitted through contact with the blood or other body fluids of an infected person. It continued that more than 780, 000 people die every year due to the consequences of hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is an important occupational hazard for health workers. Hepatitis B is preventable with the currently available safe and effective vaccine. �Hepatitis B is a potentially life-threatening liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. It is a major global health problem. It can cause chronic liver disease and chronic infection and puts people at high risk of death from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. �More than 240 million people have chronic (long-term) liver infections. More than 780 000 people die every year due to the acute or chronic consequences of hepatitis B. In addition, the Hepatitis Society of Ghana also reports that out of every hundred Ghanaians, 13 may test positive for Hepatitis B, which is far more prevalent than HIV/AIDS.�