Check Hepatitis B status early to prevent liver cancer

According to liver disease experts, Hepatitis B is the primary cause of liver cancer in Ghana, accounting for 75 percent of cases. This underscores the critical need to decentralise treatment services.

Hepatitis is a liver inflammation that is frequently brought on by viral infections, excessive alcohol usage, or autoimmune disorders. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), exhaustion, and upper right abdominal pain are common symptoms.

Dr. Eileen Akonobea Micah, President of the Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases (GASLIDD), says that Ghana still has one of the highest rates of liver cancer in Africa, with many people dying from the disease during their prime working years.

The Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) 2024 report that liver cancer is the fourth most prevalent cancer among women and the second most common cancer among men in Ghana, following prostate cancer, raises serious concerns about the disease’s increasing importance to public health. 

This was disclosed during the World Hepatitis Day launch and the National Technical Working Group’s inauguration in Accra, which had as its theme “Hepatitis Elimination for Everyone, Everywhere, Right Now.”

It appears that the majority of Ghanaians are unaware of the severity of the illness, but it is terrifying, particularly in the case of two brothers in their late 20s who passed away from hepatitis B-related liver cancer within three months of one another, while two of their siblings were undergoing treatment for the same illness.

In fact, most families will lose their breadwinners due to liver cancer if nothing is done to educate the public about the illness. This will have a significant influence on society and have major economic repercussions.

The largest problem is that the majority of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness only showed up at medical facilities after it had progressed to a point where they could only get palliative care. 

In order to eradicate viral hepatitis as a hazard to public health, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has set a goal to treat at least 80 percent of individuals with hepatitis B and C by 2030.

For Ghana to achieve this it calls for increasing access to diagnosis and care across the country to district and regional health facilities.

The Spectator is optimistic that GASLIDD in collaboration with the government and the Ministry of Health (MoH) will be dedicated to strengthening hepatitis prevention and control initiatives.

In order to stop Hepatitis B infection from developing into liver cancer, we advise the public to get screened for hepatitis B, get vaccinated if they are eligible, and seek early medical care.