A public health specialist, Mr. Charles Ampong Adjei has revealed that women who test positive for hepatitis B infection suffer psychological and social afflictions including depression, anxiety, and stigmatisation.
The Valley View University lecturer revealed this at a maiden scientific based workshop organised by Hepatitis Alliance of Ghana which took off on the 9th of November at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate premises.
He said “ There is no doubt that hepatitis B infection is negatively affecting social relationships particularly among discordant couples”. ” The marriages of some women in Ghana are threatened and others divorced following their “HBV” positivity,” he added.
He attributed this to messages on hepatitis B infection by unqualified persons on radio who seem to associate the infection with promiscuity. He therefore called on health professionals to be interested in disseminating hepatitis B related information to the general public to avoid deception.
Another Guest speaker at the workshop, Dr Florence Naab, who is a renowned lecturer at university of Ghana admonished the health workers to screen persons who visit the clinic for hepatitis B. This according to her will afford them the opportunity to identify those who are positive and administer birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine to their babies within 24 hours after birth.
Dr. Adwoa Agyei Nkansah, a physician specialist at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, on her part cuationed health workers who made it to the workshop not to stigmatise Hepatitis B positive individuals when taking care of them.
Over 200 hundred health professionals including nurses and midwives turned up for the maiden edition of the workshop organised by Hepatitis Alliance of Ghana.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
