Features
Hepatitis B wahala
When I first wrote this article, it was dedicated to the memory of Merari Alomele, a true legend. My first editor when I started this column almost a decade ago. There will never be another Alor – humour, wit, relevant information and many more all rolled into one being. Yet who can begrudge The Almighty, He knows best.
July 28 as always, was World Hepatitis Day, and this year’s theme was, “Finding the Missing Millions.” The goal is to create awareness of Hepatitis, find the undiagnosed and link them to care. I will however focus on Hepatitis B today.
These days it is common knowledge that a good way to make quick and easy money in “Sikaman” is to put fear in unsuspecting victims. Mushroom churches hyping witchcraft, herbalists and health professionals diagnosing doom at the least provocation, politicians painting opponents as the devil’s brigade and investment consultants in three-piece suits that will be the envy of Merari’s friend Kofi Kokotako, insisting that you will outlive your current savings unless…Life was much simpler in the “good old days”.
People are screening for Hepatitis B in churches, market places, train stations, fetish shrines and every imaginable and unimaginable place. The most criminal aspect of this is that there is NO PRIOR COUNSELING in many of these situations. Some people in white coats even take advantage of people who test positive for Hepatitis B (the surface antigen) and charge exorbitant fees to “treat” them.
Can you imagine what goes through the minds of people who may test positive at a screening with neither pre nor post test counseling and may have to wait for several hours or days before seeing a doctor? They often enter the consulting room with one foot in the new world. Some would have started a new fast without the element of prayer, a few will be competing with cholera patients for the use of the “small room” and others develop a penchant to pray in tongues that even the apostles at Pentecost would have been envious of.
I know we are not screening enough people at the hospitals but if you need to do any form of screening please ensure that you have people adequately trained to counsel participants before and after the tests. Such a simple thing will reduce the number of people who develop instant diarrhoea, sleeplessness, loss of appetite and generalised anxiety disorder long before their liver will even sense it has a problem.
Yes, Hepatitis B is common in “Sikaman” but not everyone is dying from it. Seek early medical advice and in most cases you will live long enough to enjoy fufu and palm nut soup for many many years to come.
An acute episode of Hepatitis B, like many viral infections may present as:
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Fatigue
Headache
Fever
These symptoms may be followed by jaundice, an abnormal accumulation of the chemical bilirubin in the blood, which causes yellowing of the eyes, skin and body fluids (such as tears), as well as a darkening of the urine.
This sounds almost like malaria, doesn’t it? So you may be harming your liver if you continue to take medication to treat malaria without seeking medical attention.
Your doctor will request for a few tests that will provide information on the stage of your infection and the state of your liver.
Many professionals will just prescribe:
Healthy lifestyle.
Avoid medications that have not been prescribed. Even popping paracetamol tablets at the least hint of pain could be dangerous. Avoid herbal preparations.
Avoid alcohol.
Get adequate rest.
A few may add a vitamin but that may simply be a matter of choice. Many people will be able to fight the virus and clear it from their system. A few others will not succeed on their own and may require further monitoring.
If there is a Hepatitis B, then there must be an A, C et cetera. RIGHT! We get Hepatitis A through the faeco-oral route which means; whenever you are diagnosed with Hepatitis A, you must have directly or indirectly eaten someone’s shit (pardon my language). Ensure you always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating and keep food and water appropriately.
We contract Hepatitis B and C through similar routes and these include:
Unprotected sexual activity.
Needle sharing (includes drug users).
Sharing of razors and toothbrushes.
Piercing or tattoos.
Transmission from infected mom to infant at time of delivery.
You protect yourself by avoiding the above and also being vaccinated against the virus. You can only be given the vaccine if you test negative for Hepatitis B surface antigen.
People with Hepatitis B, like those with HIV, COVID-19 and many other viral infections may look and feel perfectly well but as carriers, they can spread the infection.
Some good news here, you are unlikely to contract Hepatitis B infection from the following:
Hugging
Kissing
Sneezing
Coughing
Sharing food or drinks
Dear friend, to avoid or fight most viral infections, the drill remains the same, boost your immunity by:
Exercising often and appropriately.
Eating a balanced meal and drinking adequate amounts of water.
Getting rest.
And if a vaccine is available, get vaccinated.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERYDAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials Ltd/Mobissel/St. Andrews Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
*Dr Essel is a Medical Doctor, holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise.
Thought for the week – “290 million people worldwide are living with viral Hepatitis unaware.” Let us raise awareness so that many more can be tested and receive the necessary care.
References:
Sikaman Palava – The Writings Of Merari Alomele
Primed Patient Education Center – Harvard Medical School
Attention-Deficit or Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often mistaken for laziness or indiscipline. In consulting rooms across Accra and in reports from school teachers, the pattern repeats: children who are bright but forgetful, parents who feel helpless, teachers who see incompleteness.
Research is clear-Barkley (2015) and others describe ADHD as a difference in the brain’s regulation of alertness, impulse and working memory, not a lack of effort.
The family’s role begins with structure. Regular sleep, predictable meal and homework times, and a simple visual list (uniform → books → water → corridor) provide the external scaffolding of these children need. Praise what is completed—“You opened the book and wrote the first sentence”-instead of rebuking what is missing.
Schools can help by seating the child front-row and centre, giving short written plus verbal instructions, allowing brief movement breaks, using quiet nonverbal cues and, where possible, grading effort and method as well as neatness. These adjustments reduce conflict and raise submission rates without lowering standards.
Couples and caregivers should share roles: one grounds, one pivots, and both protect rest. Shame-“bad parenting, bad child”-needs replacing with fact: different wiring, needs scaffolding.
Outcomes improve not by promises of perfection but by daily routines, clear limits and warmed connection. One homework slot kept, one instruction chunked, one calm repair after blurting-these small wins shift the family climate and let the child be seen beyond the label.
Resource
• CPAC (award-winning Mental Health and Counselling Facility): 0559850604 / 0551428486
Source: REV. COUNSELLOR PRINCE OFFEI’s insights on special needs support, relationships, and mental health in Ghana. He is a leading mental health professional, lecturer, ADR Expert/Arbitrator, renowned author, and marriage counsellor at COUNSELLOR PRINCE & ASSOCIATES CONSULT (CPAC COUNSELLOR TRAINING INSTITUTE) – 0551428486 /0559850604.
WEBSITES:
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/author
https://princeoffei22.wixsite.com/website
After two weeks of hectic activity up north, I drove to the Tamale airport, parked the car at the Civil Aviation car park as usual, paid the usual parking fee and boarded the plane for Accra.
Over the last two weeks, I had shuffled between three sites where work was close to completion.
One was a seed warehouse, where farmers would come and pick up good quality maize, sorghum and other planting material.
The other was a health facility for new mothers, where they were given basic training on good nutrition and small scale business.
And the third was a set of big boreholes for three farming communities.
The projects usually ran on schedule, but a good deal of time was spent building rapport with the local people, to ensure that they would be well patronised and maintained.
It was great to be working in a situation where one’s work was well appreciated. But it certainly involved a lot of work, and proactivity. And I made sure that I recorded updates online before going to bed in the evening.
When the plane took off, my mind shifted to issues in Accra, the big city. The young guys at my office had done some good work. They had secured five or six houses on a row in a good part of the city, and were close to securing the last.
When we got this property, unusually, Abena greeted them casually, and appeared to be comfortable in the guy’s company.
I was quite disappointed to hear that, because until the last few weeks, it seemed as if Abena and I were heading in a good direction. Apart from the affection I had for her, I liked her family. I decided to take it easy, and allow things to fall in whatever direction.
Normally I would take a taxi to her house from the airport, and pick her up to my place. This time I went to my sisters’ joint, where they sat by me while I enjoyed a drink and a good meal.
“So Little Brother,” Sister Beesiwa said, “what is it we are hearing about our wife-to-be?”
“When did you conclude that she was your wife-to-be? And what have you heard? I’ve only heard a couple of whispers. Ebo and Nana Kwame called to say that they have seen her in the company of—”
“Well said Little Brother,” Sister Baaba said. “By the way, Nana Kwame called an hour ago to ask if you had arrived because he could not reach you. Someone had told him that Jennifer had boasted to someone that she had connected Abena to a wealthy guy who would take care of her.”
I was beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.
“In that case,” Sister Beesiwa said, “you should be glad that Abena is out of your way. She is easily swayed. Anyone who would make a relationship decision based on a friend’s instigation lacks good sense. I hope the guy is as wealthy as they say?”
“Who gets wealthy running a supermarket chain in Ghana?” Sister Baaba said. “Our supermarkets sell mostly imported products. Look at the foreign exchange rate. And remember that Ghanaians buy second-hand shoes and clothes. Supermarkets are not good business here. Perhaps they are showing off that they are wealthy, but in reality they are not doing so well.”
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. So I think Jennifer fed her with false stories about me in order to get her to move to the Ampadu guy. Jennifer must have been well compensated for her efforts.”
She said that David Forson was only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her. And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“Amen to that,” I said. “I’m beginning to understand. For some time, Abena had been asking me what work I was doing up north, and after I had explained it to her, she kept asking. We would be able to sell all five houses to one big corporate customer, and we had already spoken to a property dealer who was trying to find a buyer in order to get a good commission.
That was going to be my biggest break. I had asked the boys to look for a large tract of land on the outskirts of the city where we could develop our own set of buildings, blocks of storey houses and upscale apartments. Things were going according to plan, and I was quietly excited. However, things were not going so well regarding my relationship with Abena.
My buddies Ebo and Nana Kwame had called to say that they met Abena and her friend Jennifer enjoying lunch with a guy, and Ebo believed that Jennifer was ‘promoting’ an affair between Jennifer and the guy. They were of the view that the promotion seemed to be going in the guy’s favour, because only an agricultural extension worker in the north who did not have the resources to take care of a beautiful girl like her.
And apart from being wealthy, the guy comes from an influential family, so Abena had done much better leaving a miserable civil servant like you for him.
“As I’ve already said, I will stop by her place, but I will mind my own business from now. Hey, let’s talk family. How are our parents? And my brothers-in-law? And my nephews and nieces? Why don’t we meet on Sunday? I’m going to drop my bags at my place, and go to see Mama and Dad.”
