About 40 million Nigerians have traces of the hepatitis virus, a survey has shown.
The survey which was carried out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control with support from pharmaceutical research firm Roche also
indicated that at least 11 in every 100 Nigerian having hepatitis B and
2.2% of the population having hepatitis C.
The survey found people who had undergone local circumcision were 43%
more likely to contract hepatitis B, mostly from using unsafe
implements. It also found people were 17% more likely to contract the
virus while getting tribal markings, 15% during blood transfusion, 13%
during non sterile surgical procedures and 11% during body piercing.
For hepatitis C, the commonest risk factor was 52% in local
circumcision, 21% in body piercing and 19% in unsterile blood
transfusion.
Read more... Labels: epidemiology, Nigeria, transmission-prevention