World Hepatitis Day: Have You Been Tested Yet?

By Abowine Alfred

Hepatitis is simply the inflammation of the liver. It can be caused by alcohol consumption, use of some drugs and certain other health conditions. But the most common causes are viral infections.

There are five main classifications of viral hepatitis based on the type of virus that is causing it and they are; Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E. However, hepatitis B and C are the most common types of viral hepatitis. The WHO estimates that 354 million people across the world are living with chronic Hepatitis B and C and causes more than one million deaths each year. These two are transmitted via contact with body fluids such as vagina secretions and semen. Sharing same razor and having multiple sexual partners increases your chance of being infected.

Antimicrobial Resistance: Where Did We Go Wrong In Our Efforts To Help Humanity?

 

By Nana Afua Agyemang Mensah-Bonsu

Antibiotics were discovered in a stroke of luck almost a century ago like an answered prayer to the cries of mankind as lives were being lost to and heavily affected by (treatable) infections.

Unbeknownst to man, the discovery of antibiotics brought in its wake, poor antibiotic usage and practices which has led to Antimicrobial Resistance, a public health and healthcare menace taking us back to square one.

The first true antibiotic known to man is Penicillin. This was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, a Scottish bacteriologist who returned from a vacation to find green mold (Penicillium notatum) growing in one of his petri dishes which contained Staphylococcus, bacteria known to cause boils and sore throats, inhibiting the growth of the bacteria.