ABUJA – Dr Ernest Ekong, an epidemiologist with the Institute of Human Virology, has advised Nigerians to vaccinate themselves against hepatitis, a deadly disease.
Ekong, who is the director, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine of the Institute, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday.
“Africa and, of course, including Nigeria, is a high risk area, a situation where a child could come in contact with hepatitis virus before the age of 10.
“The effect of hepatitis is much for hepatitis B we have about two billion people infected worldwide, 350 million chronically infected out of which 65 million are in Africa. [eap_ad_1] “Part of the key devastation is that hepatitis B virus infection is the second most important cause of cancer after tobacco.
“It causes about 60 to 80 per cent of all primary liver cancer. The hepatitis B virus is 100 times more contagious than HIV,’’ he said.
Ekong added that hepatitis was the 10th leading cause of death worldwide accounting for 1.2 million deaths every year.
He said more than 70 per cent of Nigeria’s populations had shown evidence of past infection with the virus with 7.3 per cent to 24 per cent of the population having evidence of current infections.
Ekong said hepatitis could be easily transmitted in pregnancy and as such pregnant women should be vaccinated to prevent the infection of children.
He said hepatitis could be contracted through quack medical procedures, tribal marks, sexually, blood transmission, among other means.
The director said the disease could be treated and advised that people get immunised against being infected. (NAN)
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