Hepatitis vaccinatIon
The Shafa Foundation has disclosed that 125 people tested positive for hepatitis, while 1,096 others were vaccinated during a recent outreach in Bauchi State. The figures emerged from a screening exercise involving 1,283 residents of Kirfi, Shafa, and Tudu communities.
The three-day free hepatitis screening, counselling, and vaccination programme was organised by the Foundation in collaboration with the Community Initiative for Healthy and Peaceful Society (CHIPS) and the Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in Nigeria.
Flagging off the exercise, Dr. Sabo Umar Mustapha, Head of Internal Medicine at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, said Kirfi and its surrounding communities were chosen due to the high prevalence of hepatitis in the area.
“We decided to bring this exercise here because of the high number of reported hepatitis cases. It’s our responsibility to intervene before it gets out of hand,” he said.
The Director of Primary Health Care in Kirfi Local Government Area, Mallam Hairy Muhammad, thanked the team for selecting the communities for the intervention, describing it as a life-saving effort.
Also speaking, the Mai Gunduma of Kirfi, Alhaji Kawuji Abubakar, commended the outreach as timely and beneficial, and prayed for more humanitarian interventions in the future.
Beneficiaries described the programme as a “lifesaving opportunity” and praised the medical team for their professionalism and compassion.
The organisers pledged to extend the initiative to other vulnerable communities in Bauchi State, stressing the need for sustained collaboration to tackle hepatitis and other public health challenges. Buy vitamins and supplements
The Guardian
