For 10 years, he sought cure from witchdoctors

Feb 03, 2008

TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD Christopher Bagalya was a happy young man until elephantiasis attacked him in 1994. Then 11 years old and in Primary Four at Bupadengo Primary School, Kamuli district, Bagalya developed an itchy foot common among most village children who move barefooted.

By Chris Kiwawulo

TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD Christopher Bagalya was a happy young man until elephantiasis attacked him in 1994. Then 11 years old and in Primary Four at Bupadengo Primary School, Kamuli district, Bagalya developed an itchy foot common among most village children who move barefooted.

“When I returned from school one day, my left leg started itching. When I told my parents, they suspected I had injured myself while playing football. I did not know it was a serious illness,” says Bagalya, a resident of Bupadengo village.

Despite the itching, Bagalya continued schooling until his condition deteriorated in 1996, when he could no longer walk long distances.

“The itching stopped and my legs started swelling. One afternoon, I fell on the roadside as I was returning from school. Villagers called my brothers to take me home. That is when I stopped attending school,” he remembers.

Like many village folks, his parents thought Bagalya had been bewitched and sought the services of traditional doctors. However, his condition did not improve despite the colossal sum of money spent.

Bagalya says his parents spent over sh600,000 between 1994 and 2004 in a bid to save his life.

In 2005, Bagalya visited Buluuba Hospital in Mayuge district on the advice of an elder in the village. It is here that a diagnosis revealed that he was suffering from elephantiasis. He was told the disease was in advanced stages.
Bagalya says from Buluuba, he was referred to Mulago Hospital in Kampala but his problem persists.

Mulago Hospital executive director, Dr. Edward Ddumba, says the disease can be treated with different drugs depending on the cause.

“Elephantiasis is a parasitic infection but different drugs are used to treat it. Treatment depends on the parasite that has caused the infection,” Ddumba explains.

In severe cases like Bagalya’s, surgery may be needed. However, According to mamashealth.com, the drugs used to treat the disease cause some toxic side-effects.

The infection is treated with medication designed to kill the parasite. These include Suramin, Diethylcarbamazine, Ivermectin, Metrifonate, Mebendazole and Levamisole. But recent studies of use of the antibiotic ‘doxycycline’ showed a promise for better treatment of the infection that primarily affects people in the tropics, specifically in Africa.

The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.307 billion people in 83 countries worldwide are at a risk of getting elephantiasis.

Close to one-third of these suffer serious cases of the disorder.
In Uganda, elephantiasis is widespread and many people like Bagalya suffer silently.

Gabriel Matwale, the Ministry of Health entomologist and the focal person for the elimination of elephantiasis programme in the country, says the disease is endemic in the Teso, West Nile, Karamoja, Lango and Acholi regions.

“At least 1% of the population in these areas has been found to have elephantiasis,” he said.

Because of the prevalence, Matwale says, all residents above five years in the affected areas get treatment. The treatment is a combination of invermectin and albendazole drugs, which are administered concurrently once a year.

According to a survey published in Rakai district in 2006, at least 30% of people there carry worms that spread elephantiasis. The study was done in Gwanda and Kasensero villages, Kyebe sub-county.

Bagalya appeals to all Good Samaritans for help. He can be reached on 0782114259.

FACT BOX
What is elephantiasis?
Elephantiasis is also called lymphatic filariasis. It is a syndrome most often caused by an obstruction of the lymphatic vessels, which results in extreme swelling of the skin and tissues, typically in the lower trunk and body. It primarily affects the legs and genitals, resulting in baggy, thickened and ulcerated skin, along with fever and chills.

Elephantiasis can be very painful and uncomfortable and reduces the victim’s ability to lead a normal life. A serious complication of elephantiasis can be obstructed blood vessels, which limit blood supply and cause the skin to become infected and gangrenous.

Causes
The disease is caused by various types of parasitic worms, including Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, and Brugia timori. Elephantiasis is transmitted by female (Culex) mosquitoes. When an infected female mosquito bites a person, she may

inject the worm larvae into the bloodstream. The worm larvae reproduce and spread throughout the bloodstream, where they can live for many years.

Symptoms
In many cases, symptoms do not appear until years after infection. As the parasites accumulate in the blood vessels, they can restrict circulation and cause fluid to build up in surrounding tissues. Below are the symptoms of acute infection:
Fever
Pain in testicles lEnlarged groin lymph nodes

Symptoms of chronic infection include:
Enlargement of scrotum among males
Massively swollen legs, genitalia and breasts
White urinary discharge
Swollen liver and spleen

Adopted from mamashealth.com

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