‘300,000 persons infected with Hepatitis B in Taraba’

No fewer than 300,000 persons have been infected with Hepatitis B in Taraba State, the National Coordinator, Civil Society Network on Viral Hepatitis in Nigeria, Danjuma Adda, has said.

Speaking with our correspondent at an event to mark the World Hepatitis Day in Jalingo on Sunday, Adda said Taraba State had 15 percent prevalent for Hepatitis B and 10 percent for Hepatitis C.

He emphasized that Taraba ranked the highest in the country with viral Hepatitis as about 300,000 persons live with the disease.

While commending the state government for being the first state in the country to initiate Hepatitis prevention and treatment programme, he urged the government to include those with Hepatitis C, saying only patients with chronic Hepatitis B were currently covered in the initiative.

Adda also urged Taraba state government and other states in the country to focus more attention on the prevention and treatment of Hepatitis, adding that the disease kills more than 1.34million people worldwide annually.