Zim and Nigeria have the highest number of students with Hepatitis B and C in North Cyprus

It has been estimated that 3,199 of the 70,560 students from African countries, Asian countries and Turkey who are schooling in universities in the TRNC have Hepatitis B while 762 of them are Hepatitis C patients with Zimbabwe and Nigeria accounting for the highest number.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, there are about 257 million Hepatitis B patients in the world and 71 million Hepatitis C patients. The organization also stated that 880,000 people with hepatitis B die of cirrhosis or cancer in the world every  while about 339,000 people with hepatitis C die due to the same diseases too. 

According to a report published by Turkish Cypriot daily, Havadis on Wednesday, there are no accurate data on how many citizens of the TRNC have Hepatitis B and C; however, the number of Turkish students and students from other countries in the island has increased the percentage of those with the diseases in the country. 

According to the report, there are a total of 70,560 students schooling the island as at 2016-2017 academic year including 7,000 Nigerians, 1,800 Zimbabweans, 1,900 Iranians, 1,800 Syrians, 1,700 Jordanians, 1,100 Libyans, 1,100 Iraqis, 950 Palestinians, 600 Egyptians, 475 Kazakhstanis and 52,135 Turks. While the number of foreign students with Hepatitis B and C in the TRNC is estimated to be 3,199 Hepatitis B, and 762 Hepatitis C patients.

The report further disclosed that Zimbabwe has the highest number of students with Hepatitis B and C in the island which is closed followed by Nigeria. 

(According to the data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (DCP), the rate of hepatitis C in Nigeria is 5 percent, 1.5 percent in Zimbabwe, 0.5 percent in Iran, 1 percent in Syria, Jordan, Libya and Palestine, 2 percent in Iraq, 5 percent in Egypt, 2 percent in Kazakhstan and 0.5 percent in Turkey.

According to experts, Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver which may be caused by drugs, alcohol use, or certain medical conditions. But in most cases, it's caused by a virus which is known as viral hepatitis, and the most common forms are hepatitis A, B, and C. 

All forms of hepatitis present similar types of symptoms which possibly includes: fever, joint pain, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal pain.

Other possible symptoms are bowel movements that appear gray in color and jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes.

You may have hepatitis C without being aware of it. The initial infection may commonly be misinterpreted as the flu or not noticed at all.

Culled from Havadis