The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) yesterday raised alarm that there is an increase in the number of Nigerians, especially the seafarers who are infected with Hepatitis B virus.
Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dakuku Peterside stated this at the commemoration of the "World Hepatitis Day" celebrated at the NIMASA Regional Search and Rescue Centre in Kirikiri, Lagos.
The 2018 World Hepatitis Day also witnessed collaboration between NIMASA and a pharmaceutical company; Glasco Smith Kline (GSK) where free Hepatitis test was conducted for seafarers, dockworkers and other stakeholders in attendance.
Peterside who was represented by the Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibril stated that in line with the provisions of the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) professional seafarers with hepatitis B virus would not be allowed to go onboard vessels until such ailment has been treated.
According to him, over 20million Nigerians currently have the hepatitis infection and many of them are not aware of their status. He said that the awareness programme is targeted at finding the missing millions.
"We need to create this awareness particularly in the maritime sector, and why we target our seafarers and dockworkers is because it would help not only the Nigerian economy, but also the whole world"
"Seafaring and dockworker as a whole contributes to global economy and socio economic developments globally and this means that if our workers in the seafaring and dock labour are healthy, our economy will remain healthy"
"The hepatitis awareness is an alarming emergency for the maritime industry in Nigeria. Imagine that out of every ten people you look at, one person is an Hepatitis carrier"
"The Maritime Labour Convention requires a very stringent surveillance for hepatitis carriers, it is easy to understand why the awareness exercise is crucial"
"To make matters worse, out of 100 Nigerians who are carriers are not aware that they are carriers, this means that around Nigeria, over 20million people not only have hepatitis but they do not know that they have it, the programme is to target the missing millions"
"Globally, the missing millions of people who have hepatitis but do not know they have it are over 30million people"
"The Nigerian prevalence is sufficiently bad enough to be called an emergency, as serious as the Ebola and HIV virus"
While speaking on the theme "Eliminate Hepatitis, Find The Missing Millions", Head, Health Services, NIMASA, Dr. Anslem Nwoeze called on seafarers and dockworkers to work closely with the agency in addressing the ailment.
The health expert noted that millions of people world over live with the scourge unaware and most of them fail to avail themselves for diagnosis.
According to him, millions of people may continue to suffer from the disease unaware except medical checkups are conducted to ascertain the status of the affected persons.
He therefore called on stakeholders in the maritime industry to be part of the business of creating awareness and further enhancing themselves by finding lasting solutions to the ailment.
"Our attention is being drawn to the multitude of sufferers through the pain to eliminate hepatitis . We know that are mirage of health issues and for seafarers in particular hepatitis is definitely significant because millions of people leave with this scourge unaware.
"Also, career seafarers with hepatitis b virus cannot work onboard until they are satisfactorily treated", he stated.
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