According to the Federal Government, the direct and indirect expenses of hepatitis cost Nigeria between ₦13.3 trillion and ₦17.9 trillion a year. According to reports, liver cancer associated with untreated hepatitis claims the lives of more than 4,200 Nigerians annually.
Nigeria has the third-highest hepatitis burden in the world, with over 20 million infected, primarily undiagnosed, according to Coordinating Minister of Health Prof. Muhammad Pate (represented by Dr. Godwin Ntadom) during a World Hepatitis Day press briefing.
“Over 8.1 per cent of the Nigerian population is infected with Hepatitis B, and despite the availability of vaccination and treatment, over 90 per cent of those infected are undiagnosed and unknowingly transmit the virus to others, including children,” he said.
“Symptoms are often misdiagnosed as malaria. Conditions such as fever, fatigue, and malaise are typically treated with self-medication, while the virus silently damages the liver and may progress to liver failure or cancer. Tragically, 4,252 Nigerians die each year from liver cancer caused by untreated hepatitis.
“The socioeconomic cost of this epidemic is staggering; Nigeria loses between N13.3tn and N17.9tn annually in direct and indirect costs”
The World Health Organization describes hepatitis as an inflammation of the liver brought on by both viral and non-infectious causes, which can result in cancer or serious liver damage. Each of the five primary types; A, B, C, D, and E, vary in terms of prevention, severity, and mode of transmission. More than 90% of infected people go untreated despite available vaccinations and treatments, frequently mistaking symptoms for malaria as the virus silently damages the liver.
The government responded to this by launching “Project 365” , a year-long screening and treatment effort based on constituencies that aims to reduce the spread of Hepatitis B and eradicate Hepatitis C by 2030. Increased financing, tax breaks for regional medication manufacturing, and easier access to diagnostics are some of the measures.
