cfhinitiative

Healthy eating is essential for maintaining good health, preventing diseases, and improving overall well-being. A balanced diet provides the body with essential nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy diet helps prevent malnutrition and reduces the risk of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and certain cancers ^[1].

A healthy diet should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and protein sources such as fish, eggs, and beans. These foods support growth, tissue repair, immune function, and overall body functioning. The WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) identify adequacy, balance, moderation, and diversity as fundamental principles of a healthy diet ^[2].

The WHO recommends that people older than 10 years consume at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables daily. It also advises limiting free sugars to less than 10% of total daily energy intake and salt consumption to less than 5 grams per day ^[1]. These measures can help reduce health risks and support long-term wellbeing.

Making healthier food choices does not have to be complicated. Eat a variety of nutritious foods, drink sufficient clean water, practise good food hygiene, and limit foods high in salt, free sugars, and unhealthy fats. Combined with regular physical activity, these habits can improve quality of life and support better health.

Your health begins with the choices you make every day. Start with small, healthier food choices and encourage your family and community to do the same.

Act today: Choose a balanced meal, add more fruits and vegetables to your diet, and make healthy eating a daily habit.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

References

[1] World Health Organization. (2026, January 26). Healthy diet.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet

[2] World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2024). What are healthy diets? Joint statement by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240101876

 

Childhood should be a time for girls to learn, grow, discover themselves and imagine the future they want. Yet for millions of girls, childhood ends too soon when they are pushed into marriage. This year’s International Day of the Girl Child theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” draws attention to a practice that continues to deny girls the opportunity to determine the course of their own lives. ^[1]

Child marriage refers to a formal marriage or informal union involving a child below the age of 18. Globally, about one in five girls is married before turning 18, with more than 12 million girls entering marriage each year. ^[2] In sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden remains particularly high, approximately 31 per cent of girls are married before adulthood. ^[1]

The consequences go far beyond losing the freedom to simply be a child. Marriage often forces girls out of school, limiting their education, skills, and future employment opportunities. Girls who marry in childhood are less likely to complete their education and more likely to experience poverty and economic dependence later in life. ^[2][3]

Child marriage also places girls at greater risk of early pregnancy and its associated health complications. Adolescent mothers face increased risks during pregnancy and childbirth, including complications such as eclampsia, infections, and obstetric fistula. ^[4] Early pregnancy can also interrupt education and reduce a girl’s opportunities to build an independent livelihood.

There are serious implications for safety and mental well-being as well. Girls married at a young age are more vulnerable to domestic and intimate partner violence, while isolation from friends, family and support networks can contribute to emotional distress and poor mental health. ^[2] Marriage at such an early age can also place girls in adult responsibilities before they have the maturity, resources, or power to make decisions for themselves.

Nigeria continues to face a significant child-marriage burden. UNICEF reports that two in five girls in Nigeria are married before the age of 18, while the country has about 23 million women and girls who were married as children. ^[5][6] Poverty, limited access to education, harmful social norms and insecurity can all increase a girl’s vulnerability to early marriage.

Ending child marriage therefore requires more than telling families not to marry off their daughters. Girls need access to quality education, healthcare, protection from violence, economic opportunities and the confidence and freedom to participate in decisions about their own futures. Evidence shows that keeping girls in school and strengthening social, economic, and legal protections can help prevent child marriage. ^[1][3]

Every girl deserves the opportunity to complete her education, make informed choices, build a career, and decide when and whom she wants to marry. Child marriage does not simply take away childhood; it can take away opportunities that may never return.

Ending child marriage is not just about changing when girls marry it is about giving girls the chance to become everything, they can become.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of gender-based violence and gender bias. 

 

REFERENCES

[1] UNICEF. Child Marriage.

https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-marriage

[2] UNICEF. Child Marriage and Education.

https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-marriage-and-education-data-brief/

[3] UNICEF Data. Early Childbearing.

https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/early-childbearing/

[4] UNICEF Nigeria. Situation of Women and Children in Nigeria.

https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/situation-women-and-children-nigeria

[5] United Nations. International Day of the Girl Child.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day

Menstrual health is an essential part of adolescent girls’ health and well-being. However, stigma, misinformation, unaffordable menstrual products, and inadequate water and sanitation facilities continue to make period management difficult for many girls.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.9 billion people menstruate worldwide, yet many still lack the resources and facilities needed to manage menstruation with dignity ^[1].

Good menstrual hygiene involves using clean menstrual products, changing them regularly, washing hands before and after changing products, maintaining personal hygiene, and having access to clean water and private sanitation facilities. Schools and communities also have a responsibility to provide accurate menstrual health education and safe disposal facilities ^[2].

Menstrual pain and heavy bleeding can affect girls’ comfort, school attendance and daily activities. Although some discomfort is common, severe, or persistent pain and unusually heavy bleeding should not be ignored, as they may require medical attention ^[3].

In Nigeria, improving menstrual health requires continued investment in education, affordable menstrual products, clean water, adequate sanitation, and access to healthcare. Parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and community leaders must work together to challenge stigma and ensure girls can discuss their concerns without shame.

Every girl deserves to understand her body, manage her period safely and confidently, and continue her education without discrimination. Menstruation is natural and managing it with dignity is a matter of health, equality, and human rights.

Through its menstrual health initiatives, the Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) promotes menstrual health education by sensitising adolescent girls and boys and distributing reusable sanitary pads to vulnerable girls to support safe and dignified menstrual hygiene practices.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

References

[1] World Health Organization (WHO). Menstrual health.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/menstrual-health

[2] WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme. Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools 2015–2023: Special Focus on Menstrual Health.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240097490

[3] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Menstruation in Girls and Adolescents: Using the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign.
https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2015/12/menstruation-in-girls-and-adolescents-using-the-menstrual-cycle-as-a-vital-sign

The consequences of denying a girl her rights cost her more than opportunities, her confidence, her wellbeing, her voice, and, in some cases, her life.

Behind every girl denied an education may be a missed opportunity. Behind every girl silenced may be a story never heard. Behind every girl forced into harmful practices or decisions she did not choose may be a lifetime of physical and emotional consequences.

Every girl has the right to education, healthcare, safety, dignity, participation, and a voice in decisions that affect her life. Yet many girls still face barriers that prevent them from fully enjoying these rights.

When she’s forced into child marriage, denied education, subjected to harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), or excluded from decisions about her own body and future, her health and wellbeing can suffer.

Denying her education can limit her ability to access health information and make informed decisions. Denying her healthcare can leave preventable health problems untreated. Denying her voice can make it harder for her to speak up when she is unsafe or needs help.

Girls who experience violence, harmful practices, early pregnancy, or forced marriage face physical, emotional, and social challenges that affect their health and future opportunities. These are not simply “girls’ issues.” They are issues of health, human rights, equality, and community wellbeing.

A girl should not have to lose her health before her rights are taken seriously, her voice matters, her choices matter, her education matters, and her health matters.

Creating healthier communities means creating spaces where girls can learn, speak, participate, make informed decisions, access healthcare, and grow up free from violence and harmful practices.

When we protect girls’ rights, we protect their health, their dignity, and their future.

So, let us ask ourselves:

Are we giving girls a voice or making decisions for them?
Are we opening doors or creating barriers?
Are we protecting their rights or waiting until the damage is done?

Every girl deserves the opportunity to live, learn, decide, and thrive.

Speak Wednesday is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of gender-based violence and gender bias. 

When we talk about health, we often think about the body. But what about the mind?

Mental health is an essential part of our overall wellbeing. It affects how we think, feel, cope with stress, relate to others, make decisions, and respond to everyday challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as a state of wellbeing that helps people cope with life, realise their abilities, learn, work, and contribute to their communities. ^[1]

The numbers show why this conversation matters. The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD2023) estimated that 1.17 billion people globally were living with a mental disorder in 2023, up from 599 million in 1990. In 2023, nearly 1 in 7 people globally about 1.17 billion people were living with a mental disorder. Anxiety and depressive disorders were among the most common. ^[2]

Mental health challenges can affect more than our emotions. Persistent stress, anxiety, or depression can influence sleep, concentration, energy, relationships, and daily functioning. At the same time, poverty, violence, inequality, discrimination, and social isolation can increase the risks to mental wellbeing. ^[1][3]

Taking care of your mental wellbeing can start with simple steps: talk to someone you trust, stay connected, get enough rest, stay physically active, manage stress, and seek professional support.

Yet many people continue to struggle in silence because of stigma, fear, discrimination, lack of awareness, and limited access to care.

Mental health challenges do not make anyone weak. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it is a step towards taking care of yourself. Many mental health conditions can be treated effectively, and support can make a meaningful difference. ^[2]

And sometimes, support can begin with one simple question:

“How are you really doing?”

Let us create communities where people can speak about their mental health without shame, fear, or judgement. Let us listen more, support one another, and recognise that mental health deserves the same attention we give to physical health.

Your mind matters. Your feelings matter. Your wellbeing matters.

Take care of your mental health. Speak up. Seek support. And never be afraid to ask for help.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of the Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI) to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on our social media platforms for more episodes.

References

[1] World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Health.
WHO – Mental Health

[2] World Health Organization (WHO). Mental Disorders.
World mental health today: latest data

[3] World Health Organization (WHO). Social Determinants of Mental Health.
WHO – Social Determinants of Mental Health

The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), held a preparatory meeting on Monday, 28 September 2026, ahead of the Second Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, scheduled to take place in Manila, Philippines, on 18 and 19 November 2026.

The meeting was held at the Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja, and brought together relevant stakeholders to deliberate on Nigeria’s preparation and participation in the forthcoming global conference. The preparatory meeting provided an important platform for stakeholders to review progress, identify existing gaps and discuss priority actions needed to strengthen efforts towards preventing and responding to violence against children.

     

The Second Global Ministerial Conference is expected to build on commitments made at the first Ministerial Conference held in Bogotá in 2024, while encouraging countries to strengthen existing commitments and develop further actions to prevent violence against children.

The 2026 conference will place particular attention on prevention, including support for parents and caregivers, safe and enabling schools, effective response systems and emerging threats to children.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Family Health Initiative (CFHI), Engr. Krystal Anyanwu, was in attendance, amongst attendees were HRH Luka Ayedoo Nizassan III, Etsu of Kwali and Chairman, Council of Kwali Traditional Rulers representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Youth, and other relevant ministries, agencies and organisations were also present. The stakeholders joined in deliberations on issues surrounding violence against children and the actions required to strengthen protection, prevention, and response mechanisms ahead of the global conference.

   

Her participation reflected CFHI’s continued engagement in initiatives that promote the protection, health, rights and wellbeing of children and vulnerable populations.

The meeting concluded with a renewed emphasis on collective responsibility and coordinated action to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts towards ending violence against children. Stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of translating commitments into practical actions that would contribute to safer environments where children can grow, learn, and thrive.

Waste is an inevitable part of everyday life. From food remnants and plastic packaging to household refuse, medical waste and other discarded materials, every home, workplace, and community generates waste. However, the real concern is not simply the amount of waste we produce, but how we manage and dispose of it. When waste is indiscriminately dumped on roadsides, in drainage channels, waterways, open spaces or around residential areas, it becomes more than an environmental nuisance it becomes a serious public health concern.

Improper waste disposal can create conditions that expose individuals and communities to preventable health hazards. Accumulated refuse provides breeding and feeding grounds for flies, mosquitoes, rodents, and other disease-carrying pests. These pests can contaminate food and water and contribute to the spread of infections. Where waste is left to decompose in open spaces, unpleasant odours, harmful microorganisms, and other pollutants can also affect the quality of the surrounding environment.

One of the most significant dangers is the contamination of water sources. Waste dumped close to streams, wells, drainage channels and other water sources can introduce harmful substances and microorganisms into the environment. Contaminated water can then become a pathway for waterborne diseases, particularly in communities where access to safe water and sanitation is already limited. Food can equally become contaminated when it is exposed to flies, rodents, polluted surroundings, or poor waste-handling practices.

Improper waste disposal can also affect the air we breathe. Open burning is sometimes used as a quick method of getting rid of accumulated refuse, but burning waste, particularly plastics, rubber, and mixed materials, can release smoke and harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. People exposed to such smoke may experience eye and respiratory irritation, while prolonged exposure to polluted air can contribute to more serious respiratory health concerns. Getting rid of waste should not mean creating another health hazard in the process.

Another often overlooked danger is injury. Discarded bottles, broken glass, sharp metals, used needles and other hazardous materials can cause cuts, puncture wounds and other injuries. Children playing around waste dumps, sanitation workers and other members of the public may come into direct contact with these materials. Medical and healthcare waste requires even greater caution because careless disposal of used syringes, contaminated materials, medicines, and other healthcare-related waste can expose people to infections, toxic substances, and physical injury.

Waste disposal is also closely connected to flooding. When plastic bags, bottles, sachets, and other refuse are thrown into gutters and drainage systems, they can obstruct the free movement of water. During heavy rainfall, blocked drainage channels can contribute to flooding, carrying waste, sewage and other contaminants into homes, streets, and public spaces. Beyond damaging property and disrupting livelihoods, floodwater contaminated with waste can expose people to additional infections, injuries, and environmental hazards.

The consequences are not limited to physical illness. Constant exposure to dirty surroundings, foul odours, smoke, overflowing refuse, and pest infestations can reduce people’s quality of life and create an environment that is unsafe and unpleasant to live in. A clean environment is closely connected to dignity, wellbeing, and the ability of people to live healthy lives.

The good news is that many of these risks can be reduced through proper waste management. Proper disposal helps limit the breeding grounds of disease-carrying pests, protects water sources, improves environmental cleanliness, reduces exposure to harmful smoke and helps keep drainage systems functional. It also creates safer surroundings for children, older people, waste workers and other members of the community who may be more exposed to environmental hazards.

Proper waste management begins with simple but important actions. Waste should be placed in appropriate bins or designated collection points rather than dumped on roads, in gutters, waterways or vacant spaces. Where possible, waste should be separated according to its type, while materials that can be reused or recycled should be recovered instead of being unnecessarily discarded. Hazardous materials, including medical waste, chemicals, used needles and other dangerous items, should never be mixed with ordinary household waste, or disposed of carelessly. They require appropriate handling and disposal through approved systems.

Communities can also help by keeping drainage channels free of refuse, discouraging indiscriminate dumping, and supporting community sanitation initiatives. Individuals, however, cannot carry the responsibility alone. Effective waste management requires functioning collection systems, appropriate disposal facilities, public education and responsible action from government authorities, businesses, institutions, households, and waste-management operators.

Ultimately, waste disposal should not be viewed simply as a matter of keeping streets and homes looking clean. It is a matter of protecting public health. The waste we carelessly throw into a gutter today can contribute to flooding tomorrow. The refuse dumped beside a water source can contaminate the water people depend on. The plastic waste burned in an open space can pollute the air that children and families breathe.

A healthier community begins with a safer environment, and a safer environment requires responsible waste management.

This Monday, let us remember that proper waste disposal is not only about cleanliness. It is about disease prevention, environmental protection, human dignity, and the right of every person to live in a safe and healthy environment.

Dispose responsibly. Keep your surroundings clean. Protect your water. Keep drainage channels free. Avoid open burning. Protect your community.

Because when we manage waste properly, we are not just protecting the environment we are protecting lives.

Monday Health Burst is an initiative of CFHI to address issues of basic health concern. Join us every Monday on all our social media platforms for more episodes.

 

In many rural communities across Nigeria, a girl child is still born into an inheritance she never asked for one where her worth is measured against a boy, and consistently found wanting. She is the first to be pulled from school when money is tight, the first to be handed a hoe instead of a pen, and in some communities, the first to be laid on a mat and cut, not because anyone asks whether she consents, but because “that is how it has always been done.” This is not culture. This is injustice, inherited and repeated.

Ask why a girl in a rural community is kept home while her brother is sent to school, and the answers rarely hold up: she will marry into another family anyway; educating her is “wasted investment”; her place is the kitchen, not the classroom. These are not values they are excuses dressed up as tradition, and they carry a real cost. More than half of girls are not attending school at the basic education level in Nigeria, and 86 percent of out-of-school children are from rural areas ^[7]. In some cohorts, a million girls drop out between the first and last year of primary school alone, and only 9 percent of the poorest girls attend secondary school compared to 81 percent from the richest households ^[8].

Behind every one of those numbers is a girl who could have been a doctor, an engineer, a policymaker reduced instead to a statistic because someone decided her education wasn’t worth the investment.

Nowhere is this devaluation of the girl child more brutally physical than in the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Nigeria carries a disproportionate burden of FGM, with an estimated nearly 20 million women and girls living with its consequences the third-highest number of any country in the world ^[5].

Imo State is one of the epicentres of this crisis. Imo State records the highest state-level FGM prevalence in Nigeria, at 61.7 percent among women aged 15–49 ^[6]. FGM in Nigeria has historically been more prevalent in rural areas ^[6], and the practice offers no medical benefit only lasting physical, psychological, and sexual harm ^[1].

 

This is why the Centre for Family Health Initiative’s (CFHI) work in Imo State matters so profoundly. Through the PROTECT HER Project Promoting Rights, Opportunities, and Transformative Engagement for Community Accountability and the Elimination of Harmful Practices CFHI, supported by Global Affairs Canada, ActionAid Nigeria and the Renewed Women’s Voice and Leadership Project, has been engaging directly with the traditional institutions that hold the real power to end this practice ^[1]. In an advocacy visit to Amakohia, Ikeduru LGA, community leaders and stakeholders including the traditional ruler, women’s, youth, and religious groups renewed their commitment to preventing FGM and promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) ^[1]. A separate community-entry engagement in Mbubu Amiri, Oru East LGA, secured similar buy-in from the palace of HRH Eze Cyril U. Uzoukwu toward eliminating FGM and advancing girls’ bodily autonomy ^[2].

 

This is the model that works: not lecturing communities from outside, but sitting with the gatekeeper’s traditional rulers, religious leaders, women’s groups, youth structures and rebuilding, from within, the idea that a girl’s body belongs to her alone.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is where the injustice compounds. A girl who is cut is more likely to face complications in childbirth. A girl denied education is more likely to be married off early, denied family planning information, and left without the language to even name what has been done to her. Nigeria’s adolescent fertility rate remains stubbornly high, and it is rising fastest among the youngest girls ^[8] a sign that SRHR education and access are arriving too late, if they arrive at all.

 

SRHR is not a foreign concept forced onto African communities. It is the basic right to make informed decisions about one’s own body, to access health information without shame, and to be protected from harm a right CFHI’s PROTECT HER Project frames explicitly around informed choices and bodily autonomy for girls and young women ^[1][2].

The girl child in rural Nigeria is not less deserving of school, of health, of bodily autonomy, of a future she chooses for herself. Every uncut girl, every girl who finishes secondary school, every girl who walks into a health facility without fear, is proof that the old excuses can be unlearned. Imo State’s story one of the highest FGM burdens in the country, now also home to community leaders publicly renewing their commitment to end it shows that change is not only necessary. It is already beginning.

References

 

1. CFHI — “Amakohia, Ikeduru Leaders Renew Commitment to End FGM and Protect Girls’ Rights”: https://www.cfhinitiative.org/news/amakohia-ikeduru-leaders-renew-commitment-to-end-fgm-and-protect-girls-rights/
2. CFHI — “Mbubu Amiri Autonomous Community Renews Commitment to End FGM and Protect Girls’ Rights”: https://www.cfhinitiative.org/news/mbubu-amiri-autonomous-community-renews-commitment-to-end-fgm-and-protect-girls-rights/
3. Centre for Family Health Initiative — official website: https://www.cfhinitiative.org/
4. Alliances for Africa — “Immediate Action Needed as Nigeria Bears Disproportionate Burden of FGM — Imo State Among Highest in Southeast”: https://alliancesforafrica.org/?p=2279
5. UNICEF Nigeria — “UNICEF warns FGM on the rise among young Nigerian girls”: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/press-releases/unicef-warns-fgm-rise-among-young-nigerian-girls
6. 28 Too Many — Nigeria FGM/C Country Profile, Key Findings (March 2023): https://www.28toomany.org/media/uploads/Country%20Research%20and%20Resources/Nigeria/nigeria_country_profile_update_key_findings_(march_2023)_(1).pdf
7. UNICEF Nigeria — Cheat Sheet: Out-of-School Children (June 2022): https://unicef.org/nigeria/media/7746/file/UNICEF%20Nigeria%20Cheat%20Sheet:%20Out-of-school%20Children.pdf
8. UNICEF Nigeria — Cheat Sheet: Girls’ Education (June 2022): https://unicef.org/nigeria/media/7741/file/UNICEF%20Nigeria%20Cheat%20Sheet%20-%20Girls%20Education.pdf

A diagnosis of viral hepatitis should mark the beginning of care, treatment, and support not discrimination. Yet for many women and girls, hepatitis carries a burden that extends far beyond the disease itself. Across many communities, women living with hepatitis often face stigma, social isolation, and unfair judgment that affect their health, relationships, livelihoods, and overall well-being. These experiences not only violate their rights but also discourage many from seeking timely testing, treatment, and support, allowing the disease to spread silently within families and communities. ¹
Viral hepatitis, particularly hepatitis B and C, remains a major public health concern worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 304 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2022, while 1.3 million deaths occurred from hepatitis-related liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.² Despite the availability of effective vaccines for hepatitis B and curative treatment for hepatitis C, millions remain undiagnosed, especially in low- and middle-income countries where awareness and access to healthcare are limited.²
For women, the impact of hepatitis is often compounded by gender inequality and harmful social norms. In many societies, women are expected to shoulder the responsibility for family health and caregiving. When they are diagnosed with hepatitis, they may be blamed for bringing illness into the home or wrongly assumed to have contracted the infection through immoral behaviour. These misconceptions persist even though hepatitis B and C are primarily transmitted through contact with infected blood and body fluids, unsafe medical procedures, unsterilized equipment, or from an infected mother to her baby during childbirth. ³
The consequences of stigma are particularly severe during pregnancy. Pregnant women who avoid antenatal care or hepatitis testing because they fear discrimination may unknowingly pass hepatitis B to their babies during delivery. Without appropriate interventions, the risk of mother-to-child transmission can be as high as 90% when mothers are highly infectious. However, this risk can be dramatically reduced through routine antenatal screening, timely administration of the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine, and appropriate medical care. ⁴ Early diagnosis therefore protects not only mothers but also the next generation.
Stigma also affects girls and young women in less visible ways. Fear of being judged may prevent adolescents from seeking accurate health information, vaccination, or medical attention. Women who experience discrimination are more likely to delay treatment, conceal their diagnosis, or withdraw from social support networks, increasing their risk of severe liver disease and poor mental health outcomes. Studies have shown that stigma associated with chronic infectious diseases can contribute to anxiety, depression, reduced self-esteem, and lower quality of life. ⁵
The effects extend beyond individuals to entire communities. When people fear being labelled or rejected, they are less likely to participate in screening programmes or disclose their status to healthcare providers and close contacts. This delays diagnosis, limits access to treatment, and undermines efforts to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat. The World Health Organization has set a goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030, but this target cannot be achieved if stigma continues to keep people away from lifesaving services. ⁶
Ending stigma begins with replacing myths with facts. Hepatitis is not spread through hugging, shaking hands, sharing meals, coughing, or casual social contact. ³ People living with hepatitis deserve compassion, respect, confidentiality, and access to quality healthcare not fear or exclusion. Communities, healthcare workers, religious institutions, schools, and the media all have a role to play in promoting accurate information and challenging harmful stereotypes.
Governments and health organizations must also strengthen policies that ensure routine hepatitis screening, particularly for pregnant women, expand access to vaccination and treatment, and integrate psychosocial support into hepatitis care. Public education campaigns should highlight that hepatitis is a medical condition that can often be prevented, managed, and in some cases cured, rather than a reason for discrimination.
No woman or girl should have to choose between protecting her health and protecting herself from stigma. By creating supportive communities where women can seek testing, treatment, and care without fear, we move closer to eliminating hepatitis and safeguarding the health of families and future generations. Ending hepatitis is not only about medical advances it is also about ending the silence, misinformation, and discrimination that allow the disease to persist.

References
1. World Health Organization. Global health sector strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections 2022–2030. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240053779
2. World Health Organization. Hepatitis. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis
3. World Health Organization. Hepatitis B. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b
4. World Health Organization. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus. https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/diseases/hepatitis
5. World Hepatitis Alliance. Breaking Down Barriers: The Impact of Hepatitis Stigma. https://www.worldhepatitisalliance.org
6. World Health Organization. Global health sector strategy on viral hepatitis. https://www.who.int/teams/global-hiv-hepatitis-and-stis-programmes/hepatitis/strategic-information