THE government has started fortifying
foods with folate (folic acid) to reduce incidence of children being
born with hydrocephalus, a medical condition of fluid filling in their
heads.
Speaking exclusively to 'Sunday News'
recently, Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute (MOI) Executive Director, Dr
Othman Kiloloma said that because one cause of hydrocephalus is when
women don't eat leafy vegetables when pregnant, fortification is a quick
way of addressing nutritional issues.
Hydrocephalus is a brain condition that
occurs when cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) -- the clear, water-like fluid
that surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord -- is unable to
drain from the brain.
It then pools, causing a backup of fluid
in the skull. Sometimes referred to as 'water on the brain,'
hydrocephalus can cause babies' and young children's heads to swell to
accommodate the excess fluid.
Older kids, whose skull bones have
matured and fused together, experience painful headaches due to
increased pressure in the head. "Taking from our experience, the two
major causes of this condition is birth related infections and
deficiency in folic acids.
The government has been instrumental in
fortification and the addition of folate and zinc in the pool of
fortified foods is a step in the right direction," he said.
Dr Kiloloma said that it was unfortunate
that many women today who get pregnant do not make the required
preparations which include choosing the right things to eat. He added
that junk foods are causing more problems than what meets the eye.
The Resident Coordinator of the UN
System, Mr Alvaro Rodriguez, told this paper that the government and
President Jakaya Kikwete had played an instrumental role in striving to
address nutritional related challenges and deserved praise.
Mr Rodriguez said that looking at the
hydrocephalus problem, being highly specialised that requires
specialised solutions like having adequate neurosurgeons and
orthopaedics to work together is a long term intervention, the
fortification route is a wise one as a short term measure.
According to statistics available from
the Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Tanzania (ASBAHT),
out of every 1,000 births, there are at least two children born with
either one or two conditions.
In other words, with the country
currently seeing the deliverance of almost one million births annually,
this means that almost 2,000 are born with these defects.
The Executive Director revealed that
whilst the wait to check the prevalence of the disease since the
fortification of folic acid started, they are continuously gathering
information and statistics to that regard.
As a way to mark the Nelson Mandela
International Day that was organised by the South Africa High Commission
in Tanzania and the United Nations Information Centre recently,
employees from both offices gathered at the MOI children's ward and
provided 67 minutes of community services for children including 25 with
big heads.
The Director of Nursing Services, Ms
Flora Kimaro, said that incidences of the disease are on the rise and
they are seeing this as they receive new cases on a daily basis mostly
from upcountry in Iringa, Njombe and Mbinga.
Other regions with high prevalence of
these defects include areas where pastoralists are dominant, Mtwara,
Lindi, Morogoro, Dodoma and parts of Mkuranga District.
Ms Kimaro said that the increase of
cases is such that there are times that the mothers of the children have
to share beds but was quick to add that a new children's building is
almost complete and that there will be a special ward for these
children.
"It is heartening to see these mothers
speaking this way and even smiling thanks to this community service.
Many of their husbands have left all the responsibility to them and most
are totally dependent on whatever food MOI can provide, more people
need to lend a hand," Ms Kimaro said solemnly.
The South African High Commissioner to
Tanzania, Mr Thami Mseleku, said that the Mandela Day is usually
celebrated on July 18 but had to be postponed as it coincided with Eid
celebrations.
Mr Mseleku said that the visit to the
children's ward would have made Madiba proud because it was in the same
fashion that he liked to celebrate in calling on everyone to make
Mandela Day an everything in whatever they do.
MOI is the only facility in the country
that performs surgeries for spina bifida and hydrocephalus defects and
that between 20 and 25 operations are performed on a monthly basis.
A tube like gadget called a shunt is the lifeline of children with hydrocephalus and that they are provided free of charge.
However, because these gadgets are
donated to MOI, when they run out, buying from local pharmacies costs
130,000/-, an amount not many can easily afford.
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