Hepatitis B: Ghana Cannot Afford to Look Away

About three out of every four liver cancer cases diagnosed in Ghana are linked to chronic hepatitis B. That figure should not be treated as another health statistic, the Ghanaian Times argues. It represents patients, families and breadwinners whose deaths leave lasting emotional and economic damage.

Dr. Eileen Akonobea Micah, a gastroenterologist and president of the Ghana Association for the Study of Liver and Digestive Diseases, said many patients arrive at hospitals only after liver cancer has advanced. Hepatitis B can remain without obvious symptoms for years, allowing serious liver damage to develop before a person seeks care.

Micah described two brothers in their late 20s who died of liver cancer three months apart. Two other siblings live with hepatitis B and are receiving treatment. Their deaths, the newspaper writes, took place while they were still in the prime of their lives, costing their family and the national economy productive years. In advanced cases, palliative care may prolong life by only three to six months.

The article calls for hepatitis B treatment to be decentralized so people living far from selected medical centers can access care. It also urges Ghana to pursue broad public education, make screening part of routine preventive healthcare and equip facilities for timely testing, monitoring and treatment. The measures would support the World Health Organization target of treating at least 80% of eligible hepatitis patients by 2030. Individuals and families, it says, must also seek screening, follow treatment and use available vaccines.