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•Plateau pregnant women get free screening, medication for Hepatitis B
From Jude Dangwam, Jos
Pregnant women in Plateau State struggling with the effects of Hepatitis B may at last smile. This is because 8,106 of such pregnant women were recently screened by Azumi Ladi Danat Foundation.
Out of this, 1,063 of were reactive and were immediately placed on “Tenofovir vaccine,” a vaccine that protects babies from being infected by their mothers.
Azumi Ladi Danat, the proprietor, told Daily Sun: “Elimination and Transmission of Mother to Child Hepatitis B project is being supported by the Centre for Initiative Development (CID) and the Plateau State Ministry of Health. The project identified vulnerable pregnant women with reactive cases that require large scale mop off even as she added that those identified were placed on the full dose treatment drugs.”
She lamented the prevalence of the viral disease in the state and urged the state government, including health- focused institutions, to mitigate the situation, especially among pregnant women: “I have now come to realise that if we can prevent the mother-child transmission, then the impact of the disease will be minimised. I am trying to reduce the risk of liver infection. I’m trying to see how we can reduce the cases of liver cancer and I want to reduce the risk of liver failure.
“That is why I picked Plateau Specialists Hospital, Jos as the centre for the northern zone, Mangu General Hospital for the central zone and Langtang North General Hospital as centre for the southern zone. Out of the 10 states in Nigeria listed for this project, we were the only one that had secured the drugs for our state and I urge you all to take the drugs judiciously.”
Medical Superintendent, Mangu General Hospital, Bekaye Joseph Femi, remarked that the project impacted positively on the lives of the people of the state, especially on the lives of the rural populace, who ordinarily could not have afforded the cost of the medication. He said the screening and treatment would be extended to younger ladies of child -bearing age so as to attain, in the nearest future, a generation free of the disease:
“The Elimination and Transmission of Mother to Child Hepatitis B project came in to being after data collected indicated that Plateau State generally has a high number of individuals that are affected by the disease. So, we are trying to reduce the mother to child transmission.
“As part of the national policy, it should be that every woman that comes for antenatal should be tested for Hepatitis B. This project provides free testing kits, which reduce the financial burden of testing by these women. The system should be able to provide free medication to those that are positive or reactive to Hepatitis B.
“One of the factors that encourage transmission is when a woman or a mother has a high viral load- that means that she has a lot of loads to share. So, the aim of the treatment is not to cure per say, but to reduce the viral burden on the woman. In this way, we are able to reduce the chances of transmission to the child. The child will also be immunized within the same 24 hours of delivery.
“Now, with these three components- the testing, proper medication of the mother and immunization of the baby on the same-day of birth-the chances of Mother- to-Child transmission is almost zero.”
Commissioner of Health, Nicholas Baamlong, said: “The burden of Hepatitis, be it B or C and even A is quite high in the state. Even among pregnant women, we know that it is quite high. We have collaborated with various organisations and kind spirited individuals in the past, but for organisations such as yours that do not only screened, but also give medication where necessary, this is a step ahead and a step in the right direction.
“Before now, there was no cure for Hepatitis, but with the development in health science, we now have a cure for the disease and most people are now walking around free of the virus.”
One of the beneficiaries, Baman Solomon, told Daily Sun: “I came for my antenatal and they ran a test and I found out that I had Hepatitis B, they gave me the drugs and I am taking it. I’m happy and privileged to have access to the drugs and I’m benefiting from the intervention.
“My call to fellow women is to go for the test. If you’re found to be reactive, you shouldn’t play with the drugs. For me, if not for this intervention, seriously I don’t know what I would have done with this situation, talk less of protecting my baby.”
Faith Drengkat, a young expectant mother: “Before now, I always felt this body weakness thing and was thinking it was because of the pregnancy. When I came here and ran a test, I was told that I had Hepatitis B. I was given the drugs which I’m on it and sincerely, I have not been feeling the body weaknesses again, my body is normal.
“They told us that the drug is over N40,000 per dose and one is to take three doses. Honestly, if not for this intervention I can’t afford to buy the full dose of the treatment. That is why I am so committed to taking my own drugs, I always don’t want to miss any day.”
