Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, the former Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has stated that eating from one bowl in a group can help spread Hepatitis B.
The renowned cellular pathologist and lifestyle wellness consultant gave examples of Ghanaian dishes when eaten together from one bowl could predispose the members to fluid-borne infections like Hepatitis B.
According to the medical Professor, there is a risk of people swallowing saliva of others while eating in the same bowl with them. He mentioned foods often eaten with the hands such as fufu, omo tuo and tuo zaafi.
He explained this by saying that when people put their hands in their mouths and dip them into soup, they can contaminate the soup with saliva and spread the disease Hepatitis B if anyone of them has it.
Hepatitis B virus can be found in blood, semen, vagina fluid and saliva and so coming into contact with any of these infected fluids puts one at risk of getting infected as well.
Prof Akosa was one of the main speakers on “Quality Health for All” at the latest edition of the Graphic National Dialogue Series.
"Once upon a time, we were all there, there was group participation, group eating, group everything...
"And even the eating, it was later on that I [Prof Akosa] realised that, this is how we spread Hepatitis B. We didn't know that. We are all eating fufu by the time you finish, you are drinking saliva."
"I mean five, six of you, you are doing omo tuo or you are doing fufu, what do you think you are doing, you are going in like that and then you come in, by the time you are ending you are drinking saliva, it is the easiest way to spread hepatitis B”, he said.
