Nasarawa Government Set To Tackle Deadly Hepatitis Virus

The Nasarawa State Government has disclosed that the sum of N100 million has been set to tackle the spread of the deadly Hepatitis virus across the 13 local government areas of the state.

Governor Abdullahi Sule made the disclosure during the launching of the ‘Hepatitis C Virus Self-Testing Implementation’ programme organised by Jhpiego Nigeria, in Lafia on Tuesday.

Sule, who was represented by the Commissioner for Health, Pharm. Ahmed Yahaya, said the move by the government to approve the fund is because many residents of the state have lost their lives to the virus.

He lauded the efforts of the Federal Government and other partners who had been supporting the state in tackling the virus and other deadly diseases in recent time.

“The total amount that was set aside to fight the Hepatitis virus was N300 million but out of the figure, the state government provided around N100 million while our partners provided the remaining fund.

“We are all aware that the virus is a deadly one, so I am happy with this programme today because residents of the state will now be aware of their statuses and take steps towards living a safe and better life.

“My happiness is that Hepatitis C is curable. So, those who have been diagnosed of the virus should not give up because there is still hope of surviving.

"I want to thank the organisers of this programme and all our partners for their efforts in ensuring that even the less privileged people can access good health care."

On his part, the Country Director of Jhpiego Nigeria, Dr Adetiloye Oniyire, who was represented by the Chief of Party, Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control, Emmanuel Atuma, said they decided to kick off the implementation of the programme in Nasarawa because the burden of Hepatitis in the state is too high.

“The National prevalence of Hepatitis is 1.1 per cent but for Nasarawa state, it is almost 14 per cent.

"The burden here is high and we know the challenges, that is why we are commencing this programme today.

"I want to urge all residents of the state to take the Hepatitis C virus self-testing seriously so that they can continue to have perfect health,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, the Project Director, Self-Testing in Africa, Dr Victor Adepoju, said the organisation was working towards ensuring that General Hospitals and other Health Care centers are enable to carryout the Hepatitis C virus test without any hitches, to effectively tackle its spread.