The blind people of Garbabi

Story of communities with  large population of people who have lost their sight because of over 50 years attack of river blindness As a young child, Mallam Dauda Haruna nursed the dream of becoming an engineer, but that dream was truncated at the age of 15 when he lost his sight. He was in form […]

Story of communities with  large population of people who have lost their sight because of over 50 years attack of river blindness
As a young child, Mallam Dauda Haruna nursed the dream of becoming an engineer, but that dream was truncated at the age of 15 when he lost his sight.
He was in form four in secondary when he returned to his village, Gayam  in Garbabi District, Gashaka  Local Government Area of Taraba State to work on his father’s farm during the vacation when he fell sick and stayed at home for weeks.
“There was no proper medication for me and l became blind within a few months. I had to abandon my studies and resigned to fate because in my school then there was no provision for training persons with disability, and my family could not afford sending me to special education center,” he lamented.
Haruna is now forty five years old, a father of five and craves for vocational training in order to have another source of livelihood aside farming to cater for himself and his family.
 Several people have gone blind in this area within the last five decades  without knowing the cause and with some blaming it on  evil spirits and witches. It was not till recently when they were informed that it was onchocerciasis also called river blindness.
Findings by this reporter revealed that  Gayam village is among the over 15 communities in Garbabi District in Gashaka  Local Government Area where cases of river blindness is rampant while Dakka and Bakundi Districts in neighboring  Bali  Local Government Area  have over 30 communities where  river blindness has been endemic in the last  50 years.
The district head of Garbabi, Alhaji Sale Umaru  said that hundreds of   his subjects have gone blind as a result of the disease which affects  male and female adults, and rarely affects  young persons.
According to him, some medical personnel sent to the  area by the state government to investigate the causes of the disease said it was caused by black flies that infected their victims with parasitic worms.
He said the 15 communities that were worst affected by the disease over the past 50 years include, Garbabi, Kwar, Barmani, Waya, Makulkano and Maisuna. Other communities include, Kungai,Ghayam, Mude, Shinbon, Mawanka, Shina and Kabarinbature.
He said a drug called mectizan was introduced into the area which was administered yearly to victims of river blindness and helps improve their sight.
The district head said his domain has the highest number of river blindness victims in the state, that is why a school for the blind  was established in the area.
Rakiya Yakubu, became blind about eight years after she got married. She said her ordeal started while she was working with her husband on the farm and suddenly fell sick. Local herbs were administered on her but there was no improvement. She was later taken to the hospital but within a few months, completely lost her sight.
Another victim, Mallam Hamidu Garba lost his sight to the disease too but unlike many people in the area, he was fortunate to attend a vocational training programme and now works with the Bali Local Government Council.
He called on government and non-governmental organizations to establish vocational centers in the area, and also employ the educated blind ones.
At the school for the blind located along Bali- Gashaka road, the principal, who is also blind, Madam Grace Dubu Tankwa said  she lost her sight at the tender age of 10  but was lucky to attend school up to university level.
She said many students in the school are performing excellently, and called on stakeholders to assist the school with modern instructional materials, a vehicle and a clinic.
A medical doctor, Dr Inusa Dakka  said the entire area is endemic with river blindness . He said the disease is caused by a fly called simulium or ‘black flies’ which lives in riverine areas especially in fast moving waters, adding that the parasite stays in the body between eight to 17  months while in some cases it stays up 17 years before manifesting and causing eye problems or blindness.
He explained that the disease is found in South America, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria, he said it is common in the middle belt area where there are fast moving rivers like Taraba State, where the two local governments, Gashaka and Bali are situated close to River Taraba.
He added that there is no vaccination against the disease and the only preventive measure is to clear bushes and trees around   rivers where the flies survive.
The medical expert said the only drug given to people suffering from the disease is   ivermectin and now mectizan ,and  everyone living in areas with fast moving water is at the risk of infection.