Hepatitis B threatens Kano communities

Hepatitis B is fast spreading in Karaye, a newly upgraded first class emirate in Kano State. The virus is putting the rural populace at a great risk that can lead to death or deformity. For quite sometimes now, residents of Karaye Local Government Area have been living in constant fear and threat arising from what […]

Hepatitis B is fast spreading in Karaye, a newly upgraded first class emirate in Kano State. The virus is putting the rural populace at a great risk that can lead to death or deformity.

For quite sometimes now, residents of Karaye Local Government Area have been living in constant fear and threat arising from what appears to be an outbreak of Hepatitis B virus.

Our correspondent who visited the community gathered that most of the people in the area are not aware of the dangers of the virus. 

“I have never heard of anything called Hepatitis B; therefore, why should you expect me to go for test? I heard people saying it is a disease affecting the heart or liver. But who wants to know what is happening with his heart?”

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Kano State is located in Karaye, which had an estimated population of 236,900 in 2022.   

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Some residents of the area who do not care about the spread of the deadly virus, also believe that taking local herbs could cure them if they eventually contract it. 

Ibrahim Ahmad was diagnosed with the virus, having suffered for months and treating himself with sugarcane and other traditional medicines. He eventually tested negative of the virus after a long treatment.

He said he was diagnosed of the disease when he attempted to donate blood to someone but instead tested positive of Hepatitis B.

“The first time the doctor told me that I had Hepatitis B, I thought he was joking, but he told me to keep using sugarcane and avoid oily food. After some months I went back and tested positive,” he said.

Describing the spread of the virus and its increasing indices, a laboratory technician working in a private clinic,  Sani Halliru Usman, revealed that they recorded five patients of Hepatitis B daily, adding that what can possibly be recorded  across other laboratories could only be imagined.

Hepatitis is the inflammation of liver tissue commonly caused by a virus. There are five groups of hepatitis – A, B, C, D and E. However, the viral hepatitis with leading concerns are B and C. 

Hepatitis B and C affect 325million people globally, and according to medical experts, the disease is also a root cause of liver cancer, leading to 1.34million global deaths every year.

Hepatitis B or C is regarded as a silent killer. Its symptoms include yellow discoloration of the skin and whiteness of the eyes, poor appetite, vomiting, tiredness, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. It is also not easily detected in some people.

According to research, hepatitis viruses can also be caused by the consumption of excessive alcohol, certain medications, infections, among others.

In Karaye Specialist Hospital, many people were seen going for Hepatitis B test on a daily basis, but the number is believed to be going down. Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that as patients go for other tests, laboratory technicians are taking the initiative of including Hepatitis B.

A senior staff of the hospital who preferred anonymity told our correspondent that, “We have tried to find out the primary cause of the spread of the virus but yet to get it. But the primary indication looks like public use of items and poor awareness among the people; hence we are planning to embark on sensitisation as a way to help the people. We can’t continue to live with such risk,”

When contacted, the chief medical officer of Karaye Specialist Hospital, Dr Hafizu, said he was angry after a report of hepatitis outbreak in Karaye was first published by an online medium.

He said the Kano State Hospital Management Board had not permitted him or any staff of the hospital to speak on the outbreak.

A resident of the area, Abdullahi Sani Tukur, who spoke to our correspondent at a laboratory within the town, said the basic problem they had was the failure of government to pay adequate attention to health care system.

“Over the years, the Kano State Government does not seem to care about our wellbeing. Our health care system is practically zero. Our people are not aware of how to protect themselves from a disease like Hepatitis B; therefore, no one cares for regular medical checkup,” he said.

Laminde Bala of Yar Kasuwa community also narrated how she never knew that she had the virus in her body, saying she had always thought she suffered from malaria. She lamented that her husband contracted the virus through her.

“At first, I thought it was the usual malaria, so I kept doing self-medication until an examination revealed that it was Hepatitis B. I was scared because my husband had already contracted the disease. We started taking treatment. And up till now we are still under treatment and living with fear daily,” she said.

“For about a year now I have been sick and undergoing treatment. All the tests keep showing that I have a terminal illness. I have visited Gwarzo General Hospital and Murtala Specialist Hospital. I pray to recover soon. I am already contemplating going for local herbs,” she added.

Another resident of Karaye, Sani Mustapha, said that after he was told that he had contracted the virus, to console himself, he resorted to local herb, with the belief that it would cure him.

He said, “This news killed my dream because I applied to the Nigerian Army for enlistment and part of their requirement is medical examination. It was when I went for the medical examination that I discovered I have Hepatitis B. And with that result, I couldn’t proceed for further screening, so I had to return home.

“It will require me to pull out resources to receive good treatment, so I believe in the combination of herbs given to me as cure. I have been taking it dedicatedly for the past one year now. I am still alive.”  

Attempts to speak with the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Abubakar Labaran Yusuf were not successful, but a community leader in Karaye Local Government said they believed the state government would find a lasting solution to the situation.