Health, they say is mostly not valued in our part of the world until a disease sets in. This is mostly worrying when one is screened for an untreatable but managed condition such as Hepatitis B, only to be told he/ she is positive for Hepatitis B.
This was the main objective of medical herbalist, Dr. Maxwell Owusu, as he sets off to prevent the untreatable (but managed through vaccination) conditions during his daily routine consultation. Patients were made to undergo free Hepatitis B screening in the clinic. The results were overwhelming, so this made him decide to use his NGO, the Herbal Foundation of Ghana to go on mass screening in churches and at recreational activities in the Sekondi- Takoradi metropolis.
Out of the 302 screened for Hepatitis B, 51 of them tested positive. These figures were alarming compared to previous statistics done in the metropolis.
Dr Nii Anum Ayerh, Vice President of the Hepatitis Society of Ghana, said in 2012 during a durbar held at Sekondi to mark the year’s World Hepatitis Day, that out of every 100 Ghanaians, 13 may test positive for Hepatitis B, which is far more prevalent than HIV/AIDS.
Dr Ted Avotri, Sekondi/ Takoradi Health Director, said in an address read on his behalf that in 2012, the metropolis recorded 719 cases of Hepatitis B out of 5,895 people tested.
He further said, in 2013, out of 1,043 people screened 144 had the virus and called for continuous education on the disease.
Most of the times, much of the education and free screenings are concentrated in Accra. Furthermore, as World Hepatitis B day approaches, I wish to urge foundations such as Okyeame Kwame Foundation, which screens around 1000 people every year to extend its territories to other and further partner with other health organizations undertake a nationwide screening throughout the year to timely eradicate this condition.
I would moreover entreat all Ghanaians to voluntarily go for Hepatitis B screening at any nearby herbal or orthodox clinic and vaccinate against such a highly infectious disease.
