Accra: The GOSANET Foundation, a health non-government organisation based in the Adaklu District of the Volta Region, is integrating hepatitis education into its ongoing Social and Behaviour Change Communication activities on malaria prevention across communities in the Adaklu district.
According to Ghana News Agency, the initiative forms part of the Foundation's commitment to promoting integrated community health interventions that address multiple public health concerns through education, prevention, and community engagement. Mr. Samuel Yao Atidzah, the Executive Director of the GOSANET Foundation, disclosed this in an interview in Ho, as part of this year's celebration of World Hepatitis Day.
World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year to enhance national and international efforts on hepatitis, encourage actions and engagement by individuals, partners, and the public, and highlight the need for a greater global response as outlined in the World Health Organization's global hepatitis report of 2017. The day coincides with the birthday of Nobel prize-winning scientist, Dr. Baruch Blumenberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus.
Mr. Atidzah stated that integrating hepatitis awareness into their ongoing malaria campaign was a cost-effective and impactful approach to reaching more people with life-saving health information. He emphasized that "prevention through education remains one of our strongest tools."
The Executive Director noted that as part of the campaign, trained community volunteers and health educators would conduct awareness sessions in churches, mosques, and community gatherings. Health messages would also be disseminated through community information centres and local radio stations to ensure a wider public reach. The campaign aims to educate residents on the causes, transmission, prevention, testing, and treatment of viral hepatitis, and the importance of hepatitis B vaccination and early diagnosis.
Additionally, Mr. Atidzah highlighted the focus on environmental sanitation, malaria prevention, early health-seeking behaviour for fever and other symptoms, and eliminating stigma associated with hepatitis. The Foundation will continue supporting the identification and referral of pregnant women for Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy through ante-natal care services, improving maternal and newborn health by protecting pregnant women against malaria and its complications.
Mr. Atidzah encouraged residents of the Adaklu district to take advantage of health education opportunities, attend ante-natal clinics early, sleep under insecticide-treated mosquito nets every night, know their hepatitis B status through testing, and seek proper medical care. He urged all Ghanaians to unite in promoting awareness, preventing viral hepatitis, strengthening malaria control efforts, and protecting the health and well-being of every family. "Together, let us eliminate hepatitis, prevent malaria, and build healthier communities for a better Ghana,' he concluded.