By Regina Benneh
Sunyani, (Bono), July 1, GNA – About 60 basic and Senior High School students in the Sunyani Municipality have been screened for Hepatitis ‘B’ and enlightened on preventive measures.
They were mostly screened for Hepatitis B during the free health screening exercise conducted by the Banhart Specialist Hospital in the Municipality.
According to Mr John Kabo-Bah, the Head of Business Development of the Hospital, the exercise was to mark the Bono Regional celebration of the 2025 World Drug Abuse Day.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani on the sidelines of the free health screening exercise, he said the hospital remained committed to controlling the spread of Hepatitis ‘B’ disease.
“It’s our goal to educate the public about the risks of Hepatitis ‘B’ and the importance of early detection of the disease”, Mr Kabo-Bah stated, adding that the “screening programme is designed to promote health awareness and prevention”.
He said the beneficiaries were also sensitized on how they could protect themselves from Hepatitis ‘B’, describing the disease as a viral infection that could lead to liver damage, cirrhosis or liver cancer.
Mr Kabo-Bah said: “Many people with Hepatitis ‘B’ are unaware about their status, which makes community-based screening programmes essential for early detection and management.”
Hepatitis ‘B’ is mostly transmitted through contact with infected blood or body fluids. He said early detection remained key to preventing and managing the disease and advised everybody to know their status and seek appropriate medication if positive as well adopt preventive measures if negative.
Mr Kabo-Bah said the Hospital was playing a vital role in educating the public on health preventive measures and remained dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the people.
He advised the youth to stay off substance and drug abuse and prioritized their personal health and wellbeing.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah/Christian Akorlie