Yola: The Adamawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ADPHCDA) has intensified hepatitis awareness campaigns in rural areas for prevention. Dr. Suleiman Bashir, Executive Chairman of the agency, stated this to newsmen at a media roundtable in Yola on Monday. Bashir emphasized that this year’s World Hepatitis Day theme, ‘Let’s break it down. Let’s take action’, serves as a reminder that hepatitis remains a silent killer claiming lives globally.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the agency is actively taking hepatitis awareness to grassroots levels by educating communities about prevention, testing, and treatment. The integration of hepatitis screening into primary healthcare outreach is a key component of their strategy. Bashir urged the media to help dispel myths and stigma around hepatitis, promoting testing, safe practices, and timely treatment.
The ADPHCDA remains dedicated to strengthening the primary healthcare system for long-term resilience but acknowledges the necessity for collaborative efforts. The Chairman expressed concerns over malnutrition affecting children in the state, highlighting the agency’s use of platforms like the Child Nutrition Fund to procure essential commodities such as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food. However, these efforts currently only reach seven out of the 21 local government areas in the state, which Bashir noted is insufficient.
In her address, Nurzhat Rafique, the UNICEF Chief of the Bauchi Field Office, emphasized the need for greater commitment from all stakeholders to tackle malnutrition. Rafique also highlighted the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for children to enhance their health and disease resistance.
