Kwara State Government has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap aimed at eliminating viral hepatitis as a public health threat in the state by 2030.

The roadmap, launched in Ilorin under the theme "Let's Break It Down," is designed to strengthen prevention, diagnosis, treatment, surveillance and public awareness of viral hepatitis across the state.

Speaking at the launch, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina El-Imam, described the initiative as a significant milestone in Kwara's efforts to strengthen preventive healthcare and achieve universal health coverage.

She said the roadmap would provide a strategic framework for ending viral hepatitis as a public health threat in the state by 2030, in line with the World Health Organisation's global elimination targets.

"Viral hepatitis remains a silent killer in our communities. Recent data indicate that Nigeria accounts for approximately 15 per cent of the global burden of Hepatitis B, with an estimated 20 million Nigerians living with chronic Hepatitis B or C infection," she said.

El-Imam noted that many residents could be living with the infection without knowing their status, exposing them to potentially serious complications, including liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.

She said the burden of the disease should serve as a call for stronger and more coordinated action rather than a cause for despair.

According to her, the roadmap is not a standalone initiative but an operational extension of the "Kwara Model" of health system strengthening, designed to align the state's response with the WHO's 2030 elimination targets.

She explained that the global targets include diagnosing 90 per cent of people living with viral hepatitis and ensuring that 80 per cent of those eligible for treatment receive appropriate care.

The commissioner assured residents that the state government would intensify screening programmes to establish the prevalence of viral hepatitis and ensure that people diagnosed with the infection are promptly linked to appropriate treatment and care.

She also disclosed plans to scale up Hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination, describing improved vaccination coverage as a key priority in preventing mother-to-child transmission.

El-Imam added that hepatitis screening and treatment would be integrated into existing Primary Health Care (PHC) centres, Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services, as well as HIV and tuberculosis clinics.

She said healthcare services would also be decentralised through the state's network of PHCs and general hospitals to make prevention, diagnosis and treatment more accessible to residents.

The Chairman of the Technical Working Group, Prof. Abdulfatai Olokoba, said the roadmap was developed using available data and in accordance with the WHO template.

Olokoba expressed optimism that effective and sustained implementation of the roadmap would significantly reduce the burden of viral hepatitis in Kwara State.