Appendectomy (operation to remove a person’s
appendix) may not be seen as one of the deadliest surgeries but then, so many
people still cringe and even exercise some kind of fears if they are told the
operation would be carried out on them.
By the way, Appendicitis is not even a contagious
disease, so what could be the reason for a situation where almost nine, out of
10 persons, in a particular community have undergone surgery as a result of the
illness? This was the question that gripped our correspondent during a recent
visit to Agu-Amede, a rural community in the Isiuzo Local Government Area of
Enugu State.
As unbelievable as it sounded when our correspondent
got hint of the story, all doubts disappeared within minutes of our
correspondent’s arrival in the sleepy community, which, in addition to the
unusual health challenges faced by its residents, is also characterised by lack
of basic amenities.
Bad roads, lack of potable water, poor power supply,
and clustered habitations signal the level of deprivation in a community with
little or no government presence.
Coming back to the issue of appendicitis – instant
confirmation of tales of the high rate of the ailment in Agu-Amede welcomed our
correspondent into the community.
At the very first stop in the village – a bus stop
which apparently also serves as a community centre, judging by the presence of
small kiosks and food vendors, and other small businesses – our correspondent
approached a number of youths who were gathered by the motorcyclists’ park. The
youths, numbering about 11, were initially suspicious of our correspondent’s
presence in their midst but relaxed a bit when our correspondent introduced
himself as a journalist.
And just as soon as our correspondent brought the
issue of appendicitis up, nine out of them exclaimed they had had the
operation!
In fact, many among the youths, whose average age
was about 35 years, also said they had undergone surgery for hernia. Some of
them said they had had surgery for hernia on multiple occasions.
The youths informed our correspondent that
appendicitis and hernia were common among members of the community. They
disclosed that several persons have died as a result of the matter.
However, while (from the accounts of the youths, and
from the testimony of other villagers, including elders and community leaders
who would later speak to our correspondent), it was beyond doubt that
appendicitis was prevalent in the community, the cause of the high rate of the
ailment among the population was not certain in any case.
Those who spoke to our correspondent could not agree
on a particular reason for the situation, but from the various responses, it
could be deduced that the villagers mostly blamed their travails on bad
drinking water, hardship, hard work and farming. Interestingly, some of them
also seemed suspicious of the medical practitioners.
Like most other rural communities, the people of
Agu-Amede are mostly farmers. And, being a particularly poor community, the
villagers work extra hard in order to feed themselves and their families, and
also meet other contingent needs. Daily life in Agu-Amede involves a lot of
physical exertion.
The situation was further compounded by the absence
of potable water in the community. The Ankpe stream, the nearest source of water,
which our correspondent visited, was definitely not good for drinking but
because the Ebenyi River (which has comparatively cleaner water) was quite far
from the village, the villagers are, most times, forced to drink from Ankpe
stream.
Fetching water from the Ebenyi River, which
stretches to parts of Ebonyi State, is a Herculean task, considering the
distance and the nature of the road, but given the fact that it provides the
cleaner drinking water in the community, it is not difficult to appreciate the
level of physical exertion that is involved in the lives of the villagers.
continue reading > Community Where 9 Out Of Every 10 Villagers Have Appendicitis
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