HEALTH INTERACTIVE WITH DR. AMINU MAGASHI

 

Niger’s Food And Health Crises: A Call To Action

healthinteractive@hotmail.com

 

Not too long ago Dr Lawan Alhassan Bichi , who happened to be my lecturer and teacher when I was an undergraduate student shared with me his  concern and worries about the unfortunate happenings in Niger , our neighboring  country with respect to drought ,food shortage and famine which has resulted in impoverishing the already impoverished people of Niger . The problem is not only about hunger, but also out break of many Infectious diseases, Malnutrition and death of many people especially women and children. The reader might have been following the reaction of many Nigerians and various tires of government on the need to support the people of Niger and of course the international media hype about the incident with little  support coming to the devastated country.

 

From my discussion with Dr Bichi, he was more worried about the worsening health indicators in Niger and tasked me to come up with an idea on the best way to intervene based on my perceived involvement with civil societies, development partners and public commentary on health matters. I must confess that, since our discussion till now , I am unable to come up with any workable formula to address health needs of the people of Niger by the civil societies and health workers in Nigeria. While I am still pondering on how we could be involved, it occurred to me that putting up an article to call for action locally and globally might be where to start. As we all know that, the federal government of Nigeria has donated food stuffs under its National Committee on Niger Crises being headed by Alh Aminu Bello Masari, The Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. In some states like Kano, an organization ‘Kwandala Foundation is also generating funding and support for the people of Niger. I also saw an advert in one of the national dailies, for people to donate money through a designated account in a designated bank, unfortunately the people or the group involved in that advert, their names and address were omitted in the said advert and of course, that would make it very difficult for people to donate generously to an anonymous group, all in the name of helping Niger.

 

At the international scene, Mr. Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of United Nations during his recent visit to Niger reportedly mentioned that international community  and donors have not responded as it was expected and he urged concerned governments and bodies to come to the rescue of the impoverished people of Niger.  From available information, Niger is ranking to be the second to the last on the United Nation Development Programme Human Poverty Index Scale, it suffers from endemic poverty: over 60% of the country’s 11.5 million people live with less than $ 1 per day. Life expectancy is 46 and adult literacy rate is 17%. In spite of some progress in the health and education sectors, progress towards the achievement of Millennium Development Goals is slow and difficult. In 2004, a severe drought and a subsequent locust invasion destroyed up to 100 % of crops in some regions, leaving more than a third of the population short of food. An estimated 800,000 under five children are suffering from hunger, of which at least 60,000 are malnourished and 32,000 severely.

 

Based on the aforementioned, in November 2004, an appeal for assistance by the Government   of Niger remained unanswered and in May 2005 United Nation Flash appealed received little response. From this summary recap, the reader will understand that the problem of Niger does not begin this year, only that it reach an unprecedented and unbearable limit this time around.  Looking at the needs of the people of Niger  , World Health Organization ( WHO ) in its press release ‘Organization appeals for US $ 1.3 million to help meet Niger’s health needs”  which is   made available at www.who.int on 8th August 2005 mentioned that  Malnutrition coupled with lack of safe water and poor sanitation ( 41 % of the population does not have sustainable access to an improved water source ) increases the risk of outbreaks of communicable diseases . It is estimated that more than 50% of the population does not have access to Primary health care. If allowed to continue unchecked, these crises could result in many deaths from associated illnesses such as Cholera, Respiratory Diseases, Diarrhea and Malaria.

 

A Cholera outbreak has already affected 61 people and killed ten in the district of Bouza in Tahoua region. What the report has not mentioned is the fact that the possibility of Polio outbreak in Niger is also imminent due to the fact the Polio wild virus thrives and spreads through feaco-oral route due to contamination of food with sewage and dirty environment. When such happen, it will be a bad signal to the Global campaign to eradicate Polio by the end of 2005.

 

Following a recent assessment mission in Niger between 27 July and 2 August 2005 , the initial WHO flash appeal has been revised from US $ 400,000 to US $ 1.3 million .The money is urgently needed for four projects to be implemented during the next six month : Disease and Nutrition Surveillance and Outbreak Response , Nutritional Case Management ( Building Capacity to Treat Malnutrition at Health Center Level ) , Supporting Development Of Health Policy to Improve Access To Essential Health Care Services By Increasing Reliability And Affordability And Lastly Strengthening Health Sector Coordination And Information Management .

 

Says mission leader, Emilienne Anikpo, “The assessment we conducted was crucial in allowing us to better understand the situation on ground, to identify partners and to determine the most pressing health needs and how we should work to meet those needs”. We now have a targeted approach to providing effective support to the ministry of health in addressing this health crisis.”  This WHO component of the revised flash appeal for Niger is part of a wider revised UN consolidated flash appeal launched on 4th August 2005 , which seeks a total of US $ 81 million to assist Niger through the immediate lean agricultural season and to respond to medium term needs up until December 2005 .

 

One will see that, the One-Off contribution by the Federal Government of Nigeria and the spirited effort of some groups in the country will not solve the problem of Niger, it may provide some temporary relief to very few selected people that the food stuff is able to reach, but certainly Africa has to wake up from the slumber through African Union, ECOWAS and NEPAD to assist Niger come out of the doldrums of food shortage and health crises through sustain measures and interventions.

 

With respect to the call by United Nations and WHO to development partners and developed countries to come to the aid of the devastated country, it is obvious that the response is sluggish and there is a dilly dally to aggressively channeled support and resources to that country. That attitude is most unfortunate and highly condemnable and even from available statistics, the involvement of international development partners in Niger despite being the second to the last on the UNDP Human Development Index Scale is nothing to write home about and that shows double standard on the part of Development partners and Bilateral organizations   While I urge United Nations and WHO not to relent in their effort in raising funding, but however, they have to double up their effort and  advocacy and campaign to all the members of UN to come to the rescue of that country and for We , Africans and Civil Societies, this is the time to air our voice loudly on behalf of the people of Niger and also put pressure on AU and other Big Brothers to provide a sustain mechanism towards ameliorating the suffering of the people of Niger.

 

 

Q and A Section

 

Filariasis and its Causes

Please I will like to know what is Filariasis ? Is there any difference between filariasis and elephantiasis? Can it be contacted sexually; does it affect the sexual and reproductive activity of the person infected? Is it curable? If yes, for how long does it take and is the treatment expensive. Thank you and best regards.

 

Kemi from Lagos

 

Filariasis is an infestation that is cause by a parasite of Nematode specie of the family Filarioidea and it is normally inoculated into human body by infected flies such as Mosquito (Culex specie). The commonest and the one you are referring is called Wuchereria bancrofti and it enters the body through the bite of infected mosquito and its circulates in the blood and lymphatic system. When the parasite enters lymphatic vessels , the pathway becomes inflamed  and lead to obstruction of the lymph fluid  and lead to swelling of the area affected ( Edema ) such as Leg , arm , genitalia such as Scrotum  and Testis and breast .

 

If the problem is not manage at this stage , it leads to dilatation of the vessels , become tortuous and rupture and lead to cellulites( Inflammation of the surrounding tissues )  and/or elephantiasis ( abnormal swelling of the affected area with necrosis of the skin ) . So from this description, you can see that Elephantiasis is a complication of Filariasis and the condition is not contracted sexually but through bite of a mosquito. If its  affect  the genitals , then sexual activity will be affected .( If Scrotum or Testes are affected)

 

Presentation and Investigation: It starts with , fever and pain and tenderness along inflamed vessels. Fever subsides after few days. The interval between Infestation and development of Elephantiasis can take up to ten years and it normally irreversible .Investigation can be confirmed by making a wet smear of blood and observe under microscope and also ELISA to detect antibodies .

Management: Usage of a drug called Diethylcarbamazine and also taking Antihistamine or Steroids to suppress inflammation. With respect to Elephantiasis, plastic surgery is the option and to reduce swelling, patient can apply tight bandage, bed rest and elevation of the foot of the bed. In an endemic area, children and adult are advised to take Diethylcarbamazine for at least seven days towards prevention.

 

 

Breast Lump and Remedy

I had an operation on my right breast about a month ago and lump was removed and recently I noticed another lump again. What should I do and what is the cause

 

Rakiya A

 

I believe the best thing for you to do is to go back to your surgeon for another reassessment of the condition. Lump in the breast can be a benign growth called Fibro adenoma (it is an abnormal growth which is localized and confined to one area and it does not spread to other area of the breast and other part of the body.

 

Another one could be Carcinoma of the Breast (Cancer), which is also present as lump, but is can spread to other part of the body. Although one cannot categorically mention the cause of Breast cancer, but the following risk factors are associated with it

 

  1. It can run in a family

  2. Early Menarche ( first menses )

  3. Late Menopause  ( cessation of menses )

  4. Long exposure and usage of Contraceptive drugs (steroids) such as synthetic Estrogen and Progesterone.

  5. Inactive Breast ( the one that do not breast feed her kids )

 

Another lump in the breast could be Fatty necrosis due to trauma. Lumps in the breast are curable whether benign or cancerous, but however, you need to establish   the type of your lump and act accordingly.

 

 

Pregnancy and sustain headache

I am a regular reader of your column and I am 30 years old and my wife is 36 years, she is pregnant with third issue. The problem is that, she always has headache in the afternoon and up to night and usually has vomiting in the morning.

 

Elijah I

 

The possibility of her condition is tilting towards High Blood Pressure and Pre-Eclampsia and it will be confirm by measuring blood pressure, checking for body swelling and checking for protein in urine. I will advise you to take her to your Obstetrician for confirmation and remedy. Act very fast.

 

 

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