29/07/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/14mHmz45NnR/
Thank you 232News for sharing my voice and in supporting in awareness raising of hepatitis in Sierra Leone.
Hepatitis Can't Wait: My Journey, Our Responsibility
By Dr Manal Ghazzawi
Today, 28th July, World Hepatitis Day is more than a date on the calendar. For me, it is a day of reflection, remembrance, hope, and renewed commitment.
Since 2014 I have dedicated my life to advocating for hepatitis awareness, prevention, and the rights of people living with hepatitis. This journey has not been easy. It has been filled with challenges, moments of frustration, and countless stories of lives affected by a disease that is too often ignored. Yet, it has also been a journey of resilience, purpose, and hope.
World Hepatitis Day reminds me that every life lost to hepatitis is one too many. It reminds me that behind every statistic is a mother, a father, a child, a friend, or a colleague whose life could have been saved through awareness, timely testing, vaccination, or treatment.
Hepatitis B is a silent disease. Many people do not know they are infected until severe liver disease develops. Yet it is preventable, treatable, and in many cases its devastating consequences can be avoided.
To every Sierra Leonean, I have one simple message:
"Know your status. Get tested. Protect your family".
"If you are pregnant, ask to be screened for hepatitis B during your antenatal visits. Early diagnosis can prevent transmission from mother to child and give every baby a healthier start in life."
"If you have never been vaccinated, get vaccinated".
"If you are living with hepatitis B, remember that you deserve respect, care, and support—not stigma or discrimination. Hepatitis does not define who you are".
"We must also stop the misinformation surrounding hepatitis. False information creates fear. Fear creates stigma. Stigma prevents people from seeking testing and treatment. As a society, we must replace myths with facts and judgment with compassion".
Today, I also speak directly to the Government of Sierra Leone.
The World Health Organization has set a global target to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. Sierra Leone must not be left behind.
We cannot continue to overlook hepatitis simply because HIV receives more attention. This is not a competition between diseases. Every preventable death matters. Every Sierra Leonean deserves equal protection, regardless of the disease that threatens their life. The idea that viral hepatitis elimination efforts can overshadow that of HIV elimination is inappropriate and unfair to Sierra Leoneans.
I respectfully but firmly call on the Government to:
1. Fully implement the National Hepatitis Policy and Strategic Plan.
2. Ensure routine hepatitis B screening for all pregnant women
3. Introduce universal birth-dose hepatitis B vaccination within 24 hours of birth.
4. Expand access to affordable testing, treatment, and lifelong care.
5. Invest in nationwide public education and community awareness.
6. Allocate sustainable domestic funding for hepatitis elimination.
These are not luxuries. They are investments in the health, productivity, and future of our nation.
Eliminating hepatitis is possible. We have the knowledge. We have the tools. What we need now is political commitment, adequate investment, and collective action.
To our healthcare workers, journalists, lawyers, development partners, and volunteers—thank you for standing with us. Your work saves lives.
To every person who has supported KnowHep Foundation Sierra Leone over the years, thank you for believing that change is possible.
As I reflect on my journey since 2014, I remain convinced that our voices matter. Every awareness campaign, every community dialogue, every person screened, every child vaccinated, and every policy implemented brings us one step closer to a Sierra Leone free from hepatitis.
On this World Hepatitis Day, I ask each one of us to make a commitment:
"Get informed. Get tested. Get vaccinated. Stand against stigma. Speak up for hepatitis elimination".
"Together, we can ensure that future generations inherit a Sierra Leone where no one dies from a preventable or treatable hepatitis infection".
Let us not wait until hepatitis claims another life before we act. Hepatitis is now more prevalent than HIV, TB and Malaria in Sierra Leone and in Africa. Let's breakdown the facts.
The time to act is now.
