Good Health Diagnostic Limited in collaboration with the Christian Youth Association (CYA) of the Evangelical Universal Church on Saturday screened about 1000 residents of Ho for Hepatitis B.

The exercise coincided with the World Hepatitis B Day under the theme: “This is Hepatitis, Know It, Confront It. It Affects Everyone, Anyone”.

Reverend Nutifafa Takyi, President of the CYA, said Hepatitis B found in body fluids of infected persons is caused by a virus known by that name and ranked as the ninth leading cause of death in the world by the World Health Organisation.

In Ghana, the Ghana Health Service rated it as affecting 16 percent of the citizenryz one in every six persons.

Rev. Takyi said the situation called for intensive public education and more importantly to get people tested and immunized against the disease.

Madam Rosemary Nkansah, Senior Midwifery Officer, said excessive alcohol and herbal concoctions pre-disposed people to the disease as these destroyed the liver.

She said because Hepatitis B is also transmitted in the same way as HIV, people must avoid casual sex or use condoms in such circumstances.

They should also avoid taking injections outside health facilities and insist that instruments used in saloons and barbering shops which they patronize were sterilized.

Madam Nkansah warned that people must treat the Hepatitis B as seriously as HIV/AIDS because it is an even more ruthless killer than HIV/AIDS.

She therefore advised the public to take advantage of opportunities to get screened and immunized against the disease.

She advised members of the public to visit the hospital if they experienced abdominal pain, fever, nausea, yellow, dark or coloured urine, pale stool, unusual itching, fatigue or jaundice.**