Killer Ogogoro: Another Cause Of Impaired Vision

Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute (left), speaking during the opening ceremony to mark the World Sickle Cell Day in Abuja on Friday. With him is the Head/Director, Department of Public Health,Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Bridget Okoeguale

The old aphorism,
“what a man takes in makes him” is indeed  playing out its relevance in recent  times. With the passage of time and evolvement of scientific, technological, economic and health reformations, it has become imperative that there be a conscious effort in checking human consumption especially  of  foods and drinks,  the  very  essentials that keep the life alive.
With the recent killer menaces being traced to the intake of certain food items, it is evident that our living is determined by the things we consume as against the usual sayings of the intemperate consumers, particularly of drinks  “its my life”
About II months ago, when the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was at its rampage, beyond the bodily contact (which if it were mainly, many of us in this part of the world would have been victims), the consumption of such stuffs as bats, bush meat, monkeys and chimpanzees were the agents of contraction. The case was  easily contained maybe because we are not fond of the habit of such consumptions, an attempt which I doubt  could be easily attained in this case of local gin alias  ‘kaikai’ or ‘Ogogoro’ menace if  the  cause  is not tackled from the root.
“Even from creation, this drink has been with us. It is the traditional drink for every positive achievement  and celebrations-marriage, birthdays and others. It didn’t kill since that time, is it  now that it will begin to kill”… were the words of a kaikai dealer (name withheld) at one  of the  motor parks  in Port Harcourt. And so many, shared in this view. But then, if they are consuming this Ogogoro and yet are alive, have they ever considered the adverse  effect of that consumption?
We are already used to the ‘push me, I push you’ nature of the local gin and  the other forms  of it as well as the unusual exhibitions by their consumers. But that it is now an agent of  sudden death is yet to be contained with, not to talk of it as a means of acute blindness.
It was shocking when medical experts  attributed the intake  of local  gin even at the shortterm to sudden blindness  and a whole number of cases of  impaired vision.
The Director, Public Health, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Dr Nyekwere N.V. revealed to The Tide during an exclusive interview in his office in Port Harcourt, Monday, that  of the 80 victims  of the menace in the state, 70 died  leaving 10 blind.
Nyekwere explained that the consumption of the local gin affects the optic nerve, a vital organ of the sight. According to him, about 80 persons across five local governments of the state namely Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor, Bonny, Gokana and Ahoada-West have died of it. Out of this 80, 70 died  and 10 survived  but with varying degree of visual impairment like blindness and near blindness.
Explaining the sudden change in reaction of the age-long drink, Nyekwere noted that the  production of the local gin had been adulterated and contaminated  with methanol, a chemical that is injurious to the human system.
“The methanol is just like the ethanol which is used in the  production of most alcoholic beverages. They look alike but their  metabolisms  and by-products are different. While the by-product of ethanol  is carbohydrate, that of methanol is formic acid which is dangerous to the body. The intake of such through the local gin causes  symptoms of  acute stomach upset, dizziness and others and the consumers, if they survive suffer blindness,” he said.
A specialist in General Medicine, Dr. Mathew Ela, affirmed that alcohol in whatever form was bad and affects vital organs of the human body including the sight organs.
Ela, who noted that the local gin is very highly concentrated and seemed slow in causing damage to the system said however, that its recent contamination with chemicals has resulted to the ‘quick action’ status it now acquires.
He said: “like it has been discovered, the  production of today’s local gin is  contaminated with certain chemicals like the ethanol and methanol which are not meant  for the human system. These are laboratory and industrial  chemicals yet are brought into the human system and the result should be nothing less than  what we  are experiencing”.
A surgeon, in one of the state’s health centres who pleaded anonymity also decried  the act of using the methanol  chemical for the production of alcohol  stating that the  human system of the consumers would be  in serious danger of severe impairment.
“Investigations have revealed that the local gin is not produced in the natural way. Chemicals that are harmful to the human body  have been introduced into it and this chemical especially the methanol has the ability of combating ordinary water to alcohol and people  are taking it. Ofcourse, it affects not just  the eye but virtually all parts of the body,” he said.
Undoubtedly, one of the most common health challenges in recent times is  impaired  vision ranging from glaucoma, cataract to others even as children are seen with medicated  glasses to aid their vision.
According to an optician, Dr Sofiri Wilcox, eye problems are very common now. It is no longer associated with age because even children and  new born suffer it. This could be traced to the drinks made from these chemicals and consumed by the mothers and children themselves.
Indeed, the chemical components of human food intakes  can no longer be disassociated with the varied and various health challenges faced in recent times. Outside  the medical  world, could  it be  the religious signs of the  times? Whatever it is, health and religion are  always hand-in-gloves as most religions  then  and now preach intake of natural foods and drinks (vegetarianism)
Again, it is high time  we take another look at our consumption habits and as a matter of necessity to life-saving attitude, abstain from such food and drink intakes that would jeopardise  our lives and leave us vulnerable to every and any  kind of wind of health challenge.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu