Step up the education on blood-related diseases - FGMSA

The Federation of Ghana Medical Students’ Association (FGMSA) has called for a step up of the education on blood-related diseases.

Mr Joel Duah, National Health Officer of the Federation, said the public needed to be assisted to have better understanding of the causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention of such diseases.

He said that could significantly help to reduce their spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that two billion people across the world are currently suffering from Hepatitis ‘B’ and ‘C’, and HIV/AIDS, the commonest blood-borne diseases.

Mr Duah, speaking at a health education forum held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, said Hepatitis ‘B’ alone accounts for nearly 600,000 deaths annually, the world over.

The figure, he said, for those who die from the Hepatitis ‘C’, also stands at more than 350,000 every year.

Mr Duah said it was important for people to adopt healthy lifestyles to bring down diseases.

He said blood is significant in the functioning of the human body as it regulates the body temperature, fights and protects against diseases, removes toxins and waste from the body and must be kept uncontaminated at all times.

Mr Duah advised prospective couples to check on their sickle status to prevent giving birth to children with sickle cells and urged the people to avoid bad eating habits and reckless lifestyles to boost their immune system.