No fewer than 7.5 per cent of more than 20,000 people screened for Hepatitis B in Niger State have tested positive, triggering concern over the spread of the disease.
The alarming figure covers screenings conducted between July 2025 and June 2026, with health authorities warning that many residents do not even know their hepatitis status.
The Niger State Government said the lack of awareness could expose more people to the disease and allow infected persons to unknowingly spread it.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Murtala Bagana, raised the alarm at a press conference in Minna to mark World Hepatitis Day.
Bagana, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Abdullahi Usman Imam, described hepatitis as a preventable and treatable disease but said ignorance remained a major challenge.
“Too many people are still unaware of hepatitis, and this ignorance fuels its spread. Awareness is everyone’s responsibility; we must spread the message, not the virus,” he said.
The figures showed that Hepatitis C was also a major concern, with 18,600 people screened during the period and 5.4 per cent testing positive.
Among expectant women screened, 3.2 per cent tested positive for Hepatitis B, while 2.3 per cent were found to have Hepatitis C.
Bagana said the figures underscored the need for urgent and sustained action to halt the spread of viral hepatitis across the state.
He disclosed that the state government was working with the Federal Government and development partners to provide free HIV and viral hepatitis testing for expectant women.
The initiative, he said, was aimed at supporting efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
“These figures show that the burden is high and urgent action is needed,” he added.
