One out of ten people with HIV infection is expected to also have Hepatitis B whilst about one in four HIV carriers also have Hepatitis C, according to Lieutenant Commander (Rtd) Kojo Eduafo-Sackey.
Also, people who have HIV and also inject drugs have 75% chances of being Hepatitis C positive.
He disclosed this at the World Hepatitis B Day in the Effutu municipality of the Central region.
He indicated that Hepatitis is inflammatory condition of the liver which is usually caused by a viral infection while HIV is the virus that causes AIDS and that both HIV and Hepatitis B spread through blood, semen and other body fluids while Hepatitis C is transmitted through blood.
Lieutenant Commander (Rtd) Kojo Eduafo-Sackey Signs of Hepatitis may include dark pee, stomach pain, yellow skin or eyes, loss of appetite and tiredness.
He stressed that untreated Hepatitis can lead to liver failure and liver cancer. It can damage your liver more seriously if you have HIV.
According to him “A medical review by Jonathan Kaplan of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention in year 2020 pointed to the fact that if you are HIV positive, you are more likely to also have a viral liver infection like Hepatitis than people who do not have HIV. And then you are more likely to get Hepatitis in the future. That is because, HIV and the two most serious types of Hepatitis can spread the same way. They can both be contracted through sex without a condom or by sharing needles or sharp objects such as razor blades and shaving sticks”.
“Hepatitis B can be prevented with a safe and effective vaccine. You need to get three shots spread out over the period of six months for full protection. Hepatitis C is highly curable. The new pills for hepatitis C work better than the older injectable drugs and with fewer side effects. The treatment cures Hepatitis C in almost 97% of the cases in about 8 to 12 weeks” he added.
On the issue of his advocacy, Lieutenant Commander (Rtd) Kojo Eduafo-Sackey averred that “As a global health practitioner, I have observed the successes the world has chalked in the fight against HIV/AIDS, it’s prevention, control and management. This has largely been impactful because of the establishment of state sponsored institutions to help in the fight against the global health concern. Nana Chairman, Heptitis just like HIV/AIDS has almost the same mode of infection and transmission with the same management modules. Nana Chairman, it is my advocacy that the state take over the management of Heptitis as they do for HIV/AIDS”.
Dignitaries at the event were the Omanhene for Effutu, Nenyi Ghartey VII, the Member of Parliament for Effutu and Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the DCE for the area, Zubairu Kassim, health professionals as well as a section of the public.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
