The council chairman of Bade Local government in Yobe state, Hon. Ibrahim Babagana Yurema, has revealed how six of his family members died from chronic kidney disease despite undergoing dialysis.
Hon. Yurema stated this when the research and medical team investigating the causes of chronic kidney disease and related ailments in the area visited his office in Gashua, the headquarters of Bade local government.
He said Bade LG is suffering from the tragedy of chronic kidney disease leading to deaths in the community, adding that the research to uncover the causes is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies.
‘‘Gashua is suffering from this serious problem. In my family we have lost about six members, all of them are my blood relations. So this menace has affected me and my family members.
‘‘All of them died after undergoing dialysis treatment at the hospital, so virtually most of the residents of Bade Emirate, especially Gashua town have lost their loved ones to this tragedy.
‘‘Like I have told you, this town (Gashua) and its environs have been battling with this prolonged problem of kidney disease for long. I want to assure you that our doors are wide open to support you in carrying out the research,’’ he said.
He commended Governor Mai Mala Buni of the state for supporting and funding the research of medical experts, geologists, and the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) of Yobe State University.
Speaking on the visit, the Special Adviser to the Yobe State Governor on Science, Research, and Innovation, who is also the Director of the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre (BioRTC) of Yobe State University, Dr. Mahmoud Bukar Maina, said they were in the town to conduct research and to find out the high prevalence of kidney disease in Bade Emirate and other parts of Yobe State. The delegation was led by Maina
‘‘We’re here in Bade in order to start the kidney research project that was funded by His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Yobe State Hon. Mai Mala Buni for us to understand the risk factors leading to higher deaths related to kidney health especially in Bade emirate.
‘‘In our team, we have experts in neurology consultancy, we have lab scientists, geologists, chemists, eco-toxicologists as well as many international collaborators in the United Kingdom, US & Ghana.
‘‘We want the people of Bade to give us their full support, our researchers would come and ask them questions, and collect blood samples, urine samples that would be very critical for us to trace what is causing this problem.
‘‘We are going to ask about 2000 participants in both Bade and Damaturu LGAs who are going to answer our questionnaires and give us samples. This will help us to understand whether environmental and other lifestyles or genetics factors are associated with this condition,’’ he said.
