PINA tackles viral hepatitis in Northeast

The Presidential Initiative in the Northeast (PINA) is working to reduce the spread of hepatitis in the zone which is also facing security challenges as a result of Boko Haram insurgency. Under the programme, more than 60,000 displaced persons will get free screening and vaccination against the disease which is spreading fast in the zone. […]

The Presidential Initiative in the Northeast (PINA) is working to reduce the spread of hepatitis in the zone which is also facing security challenges as a result of Boko Haram insurgency.

Under the programme, more than 60,000 displaced persons will get free screening and vaccination against the disease which is spreading fast in the zone.

Already, thousands of internally displaced persons in camps across the states are being screened and vaccinated.

The states so far covered include Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, Borno and Taraba.

It was discovered that prevalence of the disease in the zone is above the national prevalence rate of 14 percent.

In Taraba and Yobe in particular and almost all the states in the zone the prevalence rate was found to be between 16 and 18 and requires urgent efforts to tackle.

Our correspondent gathered that in the entire zone, there was initially no viral load machine for viral hepatitis screening and treatment. The federal government under the presidential initiative purchased the machine estimated at N450m and it was  installed at the Yobe State Specialist Hospital in Damaturu where all samples collected across the states are  sent  for further screening and confirmation.

The team leader of the exercise, Nduka Ozor, told Daily Trust during an exercise in Jalingo that for those that tested positive during the screening treatment was followed up immediately. Those that tested negative were given vaccination.

He said in each state, the exercise was conducted in 6 to 8 centers but  priority was given to displaced persons in camps.

Ozor gave statistics of states covered with number of people vaccinated as, Borno-6,000, Adamawa-4,000, Bauchi-5,000,Yobe- 15,000 and Taraba-2,500. He said Gombe and Kano would be covered soon.

In Jalingo, the exercise was conducted for the second time and eight centers were designated including Zing, Bali, Gembu, the Specialist Hospital Jalingo and Federal Medical Center Jalingo.

He said the disease has no cure yet and advised people to learn preventive measures against it. According to him, the presidential initiative is not alone in the exercise though over 90 percent of the funding was from the federal government through the presidential initiative.

Mr. Ozor disclosed that many non-governmental agencies are supporting the presidential initiative on the exercise. Some of the agencies he said include the Yakubu Gowon Center, Partners Center for HIV/ AIDS, Philips Pharmaceutical and Moriah Trust. He urged state governments to come out with similar programs to tackle the spread of the disease.