WITH Nigeria carrying a substantial burden of chronic hepatitis B, Cerba Lancet, in partnership with Mushin Local Government Area, has provided free medical screening and support to residents, underscoring the importance of prevention, early detection and timely treatment.

Speaking at the community outreach held at the council’s multipurpose hall, Dr (Mrs) Olayemi Dawodu, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Cerba Lancet and an Anatomic and Molecular Pathologist, said an estimated 18.2 million Nigerians are living with chronic hepatitis B.

The programme, organised as part of Cerba Lancet’s activities to mark World Hepatitis Day, gave 247 participants the opportunity to establish their hepatitis status and receive health information. Participants also benefited from free medications, food, blood pressure and weight checks, random blood sugar testing, and referrals where necessary.

Dawodu explained that about 325,000 new hepatitis infections, predominantly hepatitis B virus (HBV), were recorded in 2022, citing data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa.

She put the estimated prevalence of hepatitis B at approximately eight to nine per cent of the Nigerian population.

Dawodu described hepatitis B as a viral infection that can cause serious liver complications, including liver cancer, when it is not detected and managed early.

According to her, the virus can spread through contact with infected blood, unprotected sexual contact with an infected partner, sharing contaminated needles and syringes, and the use of unsterile equipment for piercing or tattooing.

On the difference between hepatitis B and hepatitis C, Dawodu explained that both viruses affect the liver and can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, although they differ significantly in their virology and modes of transmission.

“Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood, sexual contact and mother-to-child transmission, while hepatitis C is transferred from blood to blood,” she said.

She also stressed that vaccination provides effective protection against hepatitis B, urging people who have not been vaccinated to take the vaccine.

However, she noted that the continued prevalence of the disease despite the availability of an effective vaccine demonstrated the need for stronger advocacy and sustained health education.

“We still need to do a lot of work by educating the communities in their local languages to enable them to understand the disease and how it spreads,” she said.

Dawodu added that improving public understanding of hepatitis B transmission would help reduce new infections and encourage more people to seek screening.

“So, what we are doing today is not only about letting them know their current hepatitis B status. We are also giving them palliatives in terms of food and drugs for those we can support, as well as organising free tests for them. At the end of the day, those who are positive will be given referrals to their secondary health facilities for proper management of the ailment,” she said.

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Cerba Lancet’s Head of Business Development, Temitope Ambrose, said Mushin was deliberately selected for the outreach because it was where the company began its operations.

Ambrose described the turnout as encouraging, saying it demonstrated the importance of taking health awareness and screening services closer to communities.

He said hepatitis B often receives less public attention than diseases such as HIV and COVID-19, despite its potential to cause severe and life-threatening complications.

The Vice Chairman of Mushin Local Government Area, who supervises health, Hon. Semiu Ishola Karaole, commended Cerba Lancet for bringing the programme to the community.

Karaole said the strong turnout reflected residents’ appreciation of healthcare initiatives in the area, noting that some participants arrived as early as 7 a.m.

He added that the local government was aligned with the Lagos State Government’s efforts under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to provide quality healthcare services to residents.

The Medical Officer of the Local Government, Dr Odufuwa Kayode, described hepatitis B as a common viral disease and stressed the importance of early screening and detection.

He said people with the infection may experience symptoms such as fever and body pain, while the cumulative effects of untreated infection can result in serious complications.

Kayode described hepatitis B as a “silent killer” when it goes undetected, noting that the disease can cause inflammation of the liver and affect other organs of the body.

Many participants in the exercise expressed appreciation for the initiative and called for similar programmes to be organised more regularly across local government areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State.

They also urged other healthcare providers to emulate Cerba Lancet by expanding public health education and providing more opportunities for free or affordable community-based screening.

The demand from residents for more regular community-based health initiatives further highlighted the importance of bringing preventive healthcare services closer to the people.