HEALTH EXPERTS REVEALS NO SINGLE NEW CASES OF NODDING SYNDROME HAS BEEN FOUND

Prof. Dr Richard Idro, for the last seven years, there has not even been single new cases of Nodding syndrome found in the affected areas, we have been following the children affected by nodding syndrome.

Dr David Kitara Lagoro’s new research foundation came out and said we have done epigenetic; some things that can be studied in the USA at Harvard University, we want to see if those are not epigenetic, but we have not finished. We found that those children are born normal, even their parents are normal.

GULU- THESUDAY: Dr Richard Idro, neurologist expert currently been engaged in scientific study nodding syndrome cases in the war affected area in northern Uganda, says for the last seven years the health experts in Uganda have been studying about 3000 of the Nodding syndrome affected children in Acholi and Lango sub regions.

Dr Idro revealed that for years when the nodding syndrome was first identified, we all had problems that affected mostly Acholi and part of Lango.

“In those days when the problem came to light, the ministry of health and different partners and the health experts have been studying the history of nodding syndrome and teams.

“Their brain has been damaged, we have look at the causes, is it because of toxic poisonous food, we have not discovered, we also found that the brain disorder, is it an in heritage disease, it has not been there in Acholi, a lot of tests has been done, we have found that there are some chemical in their blood of those affected children.”

Dr Idro a neurologist disclosed that they have work to estimate first where they are finding what those issues are, we have identified that brain disorder that affects the body, the next was the one that affects the body part where present with the severe pain in those children. What are those issues being, that not only one that affects the brain?

Furthermore, says, we have some study that we have finish it, the next one, the fact is there are people who has been damage with to those disease, there has been marriage with children, we have not found any news infection with those children born with those

What happened, for the last seven years there has no new single case of nodding syndrome, we can say the new cases have stopped with those children.”

Addition, one study has been done the suggestion is that. Can we treat those warm? the situation on the ground has improved over 100 of those children have been married with their children.

The next is where those children are, we identified them along the River Aswa, River Pager. A lot of those children who are those, about 3,000? Children were affected” looking to these it appears that those nodding syndrome are not with this a number of studies has been conducted answering is this in heritage it would have been there.

Dr Idro and looking through numbers of studied has been done, it chemical element has been found in the blood of nodding syndrome children in northern Uganda.

Narratives further that that answer of the causes of nodding syndrome has not been found fully to eliminate these, we look extensively with those children, and number of test has been done, we found that the association with federal warm with black fly, and the planes from IGAD has been hired to spray the place along the river Aswa and River Pager. For the last 10 years no cases of black fly have been reported.

Now with those people the brain has been damaged, there has been a dower being paid for the marriage with those children, we have found no cases of nodding syndrome.

“Chemical that has been sprayed is known, it can be passed through urine and other forms. He also reveals that for chemical that has been spraying in river Aswa and River Pager, there has not been no effect, if the effect is there it could be in the stools, nail and slaver of those people we are staying along the rivers that has been sprayed

Akello Florence, 23 years old, former nodding syndrome at Akoyo village, Aromo Wang Lobo. a mother of two kids, says all her two children ages 2 and 4 years old, has never in heritage nodding syndrome from her.

“I have lived with nodding syndrome for 17 years, and have recovered now, because I have been on drugs, but my kids have not soo

n sign of nodding.” Akello narrates.

Prof. Dr. David Kitara Lagoro, we would like to inform you that the nodding syndrome have been there in East African, I would like to says that the concentration of this cases are in Acholi and Lango Sub Region, and also there are three areas that have been described with nodding syndrome has been identified in three areas in one in Southern Tanzania, secondly in 1960 it was discovered and in South Sudan in the 1990s and in 2000 Acholi area

I would like to inform you that nodding syndrome has been having been there, the concentration of cases is in Acholi and some part of Lango regions, but there now studied which shows they have seen a few cases in western Uganda, also in west African and India but we did not know the cause up to this day. I saw a case which was reported in India, a case of nodding syndrome. But we did not know about the case until now.

But specifically because it is magmatic, it means that many people have tried everything possible.  And for our case we went ahead to look at the brains of these children who died with nodding syndrome and we work with Universities of Toronto and University of Origami in the USA.

Now there are three things that we have seen in children with nodding and that is why in in 2018, editorial teams the Nature journal quoted us having find the causes of nodding syndrome

But specifically because is enigmatic it means that many people have tried what has been censuring nodding syndrome on we with our case we gone ahead to work with those children

There are three things we have found in these children and that is why in 2018 the editorial of Nature Journal quoted us as having found and described a new neuronal disorder, and three are.

Tower Protein disposition on the brain of neuronal protein, is an immoral protein which is posted in the brain most especially in the pronto log of the brain we call this area the entrorino area of the brain.

Secondly we have of deposition of neuro-fiber tangle this tangle hold the new fiber in the tighted like this so that the transfer of information is not uniform and that we manly have found in ponato log, mainly pareto areas and particularly in the midbrain not so must mainly in the brain pronto log,

The third one is about the shrinking of the brain, the brains of these children with nodding children are slightly shrunk. We call it atrophy. So these three pathologies we show in children who have already died, we have found in the brain of these children who have died.

Now as researcher we have go back and reconstruct are the deficiency in the brain function are they really in those location that we saw when we did pathology examination we did in the children in Odek, we saw in the children who have died, and indeed we found with patients in Odek   are they in those position, and indeed we did with the children in Odek Sub County and we have found they occurred exactly in those position.

So members what we are to reconstruct is to find what is the cause of nodding syndrome, but I would like to say that neurological disorder if I go back in the history of America. American had a problem in the Far East Asia they had a condition called Amlottopical lateral Calorizing disorder or the warmth disorder, it happened in the 1940, it was only in the 1970 and the 1980 that they successfully managed to describe what was causing neurological disorder.

Because it takes a long time to be there, by the time it reaches the brain the pathological process may change and substance may disappear, my view we need to give ourselves time to view and find out what is the cause of neurological disorder.

My thought is that when we look to epidemiological set up things in this areas if you went Nwoya you will get black ply shared between human and animals, there so many but you can’t find a single case you go to Agago district you get black fly, there are so many, but you don’t find a case of nodding syndrome, go to Agago district, you don’t find a single case.

We have them in Omoro, Pader, Lira, Oyam even in Dokolo and Kitgum and Lamwo

However, we see them where people had been in the camps and water sources point districts like Pader, Oyam, Lamwo, Lira, Gulu and Amuru then Dokolo and in Kitgum district where IPD camps.

Really I would like to add remedy, do we have their how we should look at health

We need to set time to view and identify and find out neuronal disorder

Finally, I want to talk about remedies. Do we have a remedy; we have set up camps one in Odek Sub County and Tumangur in Kitgum district to look at the health of those children with my friend Dr. Sejan Gasper from the USA. We have found that those children can be rehabilitated, they can bathe, they can do their own things, they can feed themselves, their quality of life can improve, even children who are sick can help their fellow who are more vulnerable. Feed each other, even food and rehabilitation uses of medicine and counselling can be done to those children.

We have done epigenetic; some things that can be studied in the USA at Harvard University, we want to see if those are not epigenetic, but we have not finished. We found that those children are born normal, even their parents are normal.

All those therapies can be put together; we know those children are human being

During yesterday’s sitting, Hon. Franca Akello raised the issue of the children suffering from Nodding Syndrome and specifically to parliament’s earlier recommendations on the same discussed last year following the report of the Committee on Gender, labor and social development. I was therefore tasked to present a statement on the Nodding Syndrome that has affected communities in the districts of Kitgum, Pader and Omoro and Lamwo.

“I would also like to mention that in all stages, there is some degree of brain damage and this increases in magnitude depending on the stage. All cases in stage 5 and a few in stage 4 require rehabilitation.

According to our statistics, as of December 2Ol7, Patients who fall in stage 5 are currently as follows; 8 cases in Kitgum, 20 cases in Pader, 5 in Amuru, I in Lamwo and 20 in Omoro, giving a total of 59 cases.

Trained Specialists from Gulu Regional Referral Hospital have been following these cases in addition to regular visits by health workers from the affected districts. Our technical team led by Dr. Opar Bernard and Dr. Richard Idro has continued to carry out surveillance with support from the district surveillance focal persons.” Frankly Akello, the MP for Amuru district women presented a report before parliament.