Mystery eye disease spreads across Northern Bahr el Ghazal
By Ngor Arol Garang
August 29, 2010 (RENK) – An eye disease that has yet to be identified is spread across all five counties in the southern state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal according to Dominic Athian Dut, a director for primary health care services, at southern ministry of health.
The health director says that the regional government of southern Sudan ministry of health responded quickly.
“A rapid assessment was conducted between 20 and 21 of August and that a sample report was taken for analysis in Kenya and also South African by world health organization to establish the actual identity of the disease”, Dut said.
The identity of the disease has not been established, the official believed it could be a viral infection: “the actual identity of the disease has not been established as at now, but from our experience, we believe it could be a viral infection because it produces little eye discharge”.
Kuol Akok Kuol, a medical practitioner with a lot of experience working in the area. He confirmed the spread of the disease:
“I was in Nyamlel, Aweil West County, recently and I saw myself a lot of people were affected in the area. I am also told the same situation exists in Aweil North, Center and south counties by reports from our medical staff, said Kuol who is director of administration in the state ministry of health.”
Villagers in rural areas claim that the disease was spread by visiting officials from urban areas.
Awut Deng Majok, a woman from the village of Malualbai on Sunday, told Sudan Tribune that the disease never existed in her village before but was imported by a relative who came to her house from Aweil town.
“This disease was not here but a relative who came from Aweil town infected began to spread the disease to all of us in the house. All of us in the house are now affected. No one has been spared even my husband”, she explained calling on the government to intervene.
State-health-director-Akok said the ministry had discussed the disease with international organizations in order to conduct a technical assessment of the situation.
The senior health official added that in the past, especially during dry seasons, the state suffers from spread of a non-fatal but highly repugnant eye ailment called trachoma trichiasis.
This eye disease mainly affects the inside of the upper eyelid due to repeated infections by a causative agent called Chlamydia trachmatis.
“This disease called trachoma is a highly treatable disease. It affects only the
unclean. The agent of disease is produced by tiny flies that are much smaller than the common housefly. The tiny flies breed the agents in a pit latrine, animal dung or human faeces. Children living near animal enclosures risk contracting the ailment. Total blindness ensues about twenty years later if attention has not been paid at earliest possible”, he explained.
He explained that tiny flies cause the infection and contributes to the introduction of agents into human eyes when they settle on the eyelashes to feed on the watery discharge.
(ST)