How we’re working to reduce hepatitis B in children — FG

By Joseph Erunke – Abuja

The federal government said yesterday that it had begun plans to ensure Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection was reduced to less than 2 per cent in children below the age of five.

Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, speaking at a ceremony to commemorate the 2020 World Hepatitis Day, in Abuja, said the country recognized vaccination as a critical intervention to help eliminate HBV infection by 2030.

Ehanire, who also used the occasion to launch the guidelines for the prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of Hepatitis B, noted that Nigeria was working in partnership with the Regional Resolution to reduce the virus through vaccination.

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According to him, the nation was one of the first African countries to introduce a birth dose of HBV vaccine in 2004.

He stressed that working in alignment with the regional resolution, Nigeria would reduce Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection to less than 2% in children under five years by the end of 2020, adding that Nigeria has made progress in the area of Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination through domestic contribution to financing vaccination and expand access to services.

In his words: “We established the National Viral Hepatitis Control programme in 2013, to coordinate all national efforts and through this, developed National documents, including policies, a strategic plan, guidelines, training materials, and a treatment centre directory, which are in use.

“One of the major challenges of Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination is the inadequate domestic contribution to finance vaccines and expand access to services.

“In recent times, the country has made progress in this area; we are committed to a three-billion-dollar Nigeria Strategy on Immunisation and PHC Systems Strengthening (NSIPSS).

“This is our plan for transitioning to financial ownership of the immunisation and primary healthcare system over a 10-year period, from 2018-2028.

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“In 2018 Nigeria conducted a National AIDS Indicator and Impact Survey which showed a prevalence of 8.1% for Hepatitis B (HBV) and 1.1% for Hepatitis C (HCV). It could be estimated that about 20 million people are chronically infected.”

Ehanire further disclosed that Nigeria has committed $3Billion a Nigeria Strategy on Immunization and PHC Systems Strengthening (NSIPSS) as a plan for transferring financial ownership of the immunization and primary health care system over a ten-year period from 2018-2028.

While stating that Nigeria has not in any way defaulted in its co-financing obligations of routine immunization implementation in the last 3years, he revealed that the Health Team has worked on strengthening routine immunization through the establishment of a National Emergency Routine Immunization (NERICC) in 2017, which he said has recorded several gains.

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