Public Health personnel of 37 Military Hospital undergoing a hepatitis screening
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has inaugurated a hepatitis project to create viral hepatitis awareness, diagnose and provide treatment and prevention modalities for the hepatitis disease among military personnel.
The project, headlined, ‘Ghana Armed Forces Hepatitis Project’, is expected to lead to the initiation of disease awareness programmes screening, training, healthcare providers on diagnostic protocols, improve access to laboratory diagnosis in the military, provide access to innovative treatments and development of military prevalence data.
The project will, among others, provide education on viral hepatitis transmission, presentation, treatment and prevention strategies such as vaccination and changes in behavior and certain cultural practices.
It will also initiate treatment for persons diagnosed as positive, initiate vaccination ability for persons who are hepatitis B negative and non-immune and counselling on viral hepatitis transmission prevention for persons who are hepatitis C virus negative.
“Conduct screening among personnel in uniform and non-uniform and dependants to determine the viral hepatitis burden within the Ghana Armed Forces,” a release to announce the project read.
The project is built upon the existing National Hepatitis Policy in Ghana, established by the Ministry of Health in 2015, which was developed to provide responses to hepatitis challenges in the country.
Viral hepatitis is a major global health issue with the highest rates found in sub-Saharan Africa. Approximately four million Ghanaians have the disease, a national rate four times more than the national prevalence of HIV.
Viral hepatitis (hepatitis B and C) is a potentially life-threatening liver infection and chronic infection which leads to the development of liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri