Media urged to create awareness of Hepatitis B
Arku Jasmine
Health
The Hepatitis B Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Kwame Nsiah Appau, known in the entertainment industry as Okyeame Kwame, has challenged the media to constantly create awareness of Hepatitis B in the country.
This, he said, would help citizens to know more about the disease as the media served as a platform to disseminate information s to the public.
He was addressing a gathering after a health walk organised by the Sunflower School in Accra last Saturday.
The walk was intended to kick start the 20th anniversary celebrations of the school slated for September 2014.
According to Okyeame Kwame, the disease was caused by the Hepatitis B virus which entered the blood vessels and got into the liver, causing it to be cancerous.
The liver, he said, regulated most chemical levels in the blood which broke down fat for further digestion and absorption hence when infected it lost its function to clear the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
The walk, which brought together about 500 students and 20 staff members, began at the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the Industrial Area to the school’s premises.
The students held placards which read: ‘Hepatitis B can cause Liver cancer’ ‘Get tested for Hepatitis B’ and ‘There’s no cure for Hepatitis B’.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sunflower School, Mrs Laurice Ahiabor, called on the government and all other stakeholders to take a critical look at the disease, as “Hepatitis B is one of the lifestyle challenges that is affecting not only Ghana but Africa at the moment”
The chairman of the Planning Committee of the school’s 20th anniversary, Mr James Boadu, said the school held the health walk primarily to create awareness of the Hepatitis B disease.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to get tested and vaccinated against such a highly infectious disease.
The health walk was followed by an aerobic activity which involved the lower and upper primary, JHS students staff and parents. Medical practitioners from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital were also present to educate the students, the staff and some parents about Hepatitis B and other related diseases.
Interested students, staff and parents were screened for and immunised against the Hepatitis B disease.
By Emmanuel Tawiah Forson/Daily Graphic/Ghana
This, he said, would help citizens to know more about the disease as the media served as a platform to disseminate information s to the public.
He was addressing a gathering after a health walk organised by the Sunflower School in Accra last Saturday.
The walk was intended to kick start the 20th anniversary celebrations of the school slated for September 2014.
According to Okyeame Kwame, the disease was caused by the Hepatitis B virus which entered the blood vessels and got into the liver, causing it to be cancerous.
The liver, he said, regulated most chemical levels in the blood which broke down fat for further digestion and absorption hence when infected it lost its function to clear the blood of drugs and other poisonous substances.
The walk, which brought together about 500 students and 20 staff members, began at the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through the Industrial Area to the school’s premises.
The students held placards which read: ‘Hepatitis B can cause Liver cancer’ ‘Get tested for Hepatitis B’ and ‘There’s no cure for Hepatitis B’.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Sunflower School, Mrs Laurice Ahiabor, called on the government and all other stakeholders to take a critical look at the disease, as “Hepatitis B is one of the lifestyle challenges that is affecting not only Ghana but Africa at the moment”
The chairman of the Planning Committee of the school’s 20th anniversary, Mr James Boadu, said the school held the health walk primarily to create awareness of the Hepatitis B disease.
He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to get tested and vaccinated against such a highly infectious disease.
The health walk was followed by an aerobic activity which involved the lower and upper primary, JHS students staff and parents. Medical practitioners from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital were also present to educate the students, the staff and some parents about Hepatitis B and other related diseases.
Interested students, staff and parents were screened for and immunised against the Hepatitis B disease.
By Emmanuel Tawiah Forson/Daily Graphic/Ghana