As Nigeria joins the global community in marking World Hepatitis Day 2025, Dr. Nonye Soludo, First Lady of Anambra State and founder of the Healthy Living with Nonye Soludo initiative, has sounded the alarm over the escalating hepatitis epidemic threatening millions of Nigerians.
Speaking at a health advocacy event in Awka, Dr. Soludo emphasized that over 20 million Nigerians are currently living with hepatitis, a disease that remains the leading cause of liver cancer and one of the deadliest viruses globally after COVID-19.
“The time to act is now,” she declared. “We cannot afford to wait while our communities suffer. Hepatitis is preventable, treatable, and beatable—but only if we confront it with urgency and unity.”
Her remarks align with the World Health Organization’s goal to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030—a target experts say Nigeria is far from reaching due to slow progress and limited resources.
Dr. Soludo’s Healthy Living initiative, which recently earned national recognition for its contributions to healthcare advocacy, has been instrumental in promoting wellness, nutrition, and disease prevention across Anambra State. The program will now intensify its focus on hepatitis awareness and community outreach.
“We are not waiting,” she concluded, echoing the theme of World Hepatitis Day 2025. “We are mobilizing, educating, and empowering our people to protect their health and their future.”