The Effutu Municipal Assembly premises in Winneba on Thursday, November 2, 2023 witnessed a scene of a free Hepatitis B testing and vaccination organized by Mumbies Foundation, a non- governmental organization in conjunction with the Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo- Markin.The exercise which saw the Municipal Chief Executive volunteering to receive the first test and vaccine was preceded by an awareness creation move to sensitize the people on the disease and its impact on the population of Effutu and Ghana as a whole as well as precautionary measures.Addressing a durbar before the testing exercise, the Municipal Chief Executive for the Efutu Municipal Assembly, Hon. Alhaji Zubairu Kassim, said the Effutu Member of Parliament was alarmed by the prevalence rate of Hepatitis B in the Municipality and the country in general and has donated an amount of Ghc 1million to aid free testing and vaccination in the area.While commending the Mumbies Foundation for the initiative to help fight Hepatitis B in the Municipality, Hon. Zubairu Kassim encouraged staff of the Assembly as well as residents in the area to be mindful that the disease was common, hence the need for them to test and know their status.He noted that the disease was prevalent in the Municipality with a lot of positive cases recorded in some of the communities requiring for urgent calls for all residents to get tested to know their status.Leading the sensitization drive, the Founder of Mumbies Foudation, Mr. Israel Adorbley, said the organization was established out of the need to control the prevalence of the disease in the area and to support underprivileged communities and groups against the virus.Mr. Adorbley noted that Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic diseases. He said that the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was highly contagious and is transmitted by percutaneous or mucosal exposure to infected blood, semen, or other bodily fluids.He lauded the Effutu Law Maker for investing heavily in the fight against the disease, especially in vulnerable communities which could not afford vaccination and treatment.Some of the beneficiaries who were mostly staff of the Effutu Municipal Assembly later expressed delight that the exercise had offered them an opportunity to know their status, and appealed for more of such initiatives in future.
STORY BY CHARLES BAAH ABOAGYE -ISD
Last modified: November 4, 2023
