RAJAB 13, 1429 A.H.
WEDNESDAY JULY 16 2008
Print This Page 
Combating cleft palate among children
By SANI ADAMU
Baba Modu is an 11-year-old primary school pupil in Jinddari Polo, a suburb of Maiduguri.
He had to abandon school temporarily at seven due to his congenital birth defect.
''I was born with a disease which affected my facial outlook and I had to abandon school in Primary II because I could not stand the embarrassment from my school mates.
''The infection affected my lower and upper lips, leaving my teeth exposed.
''This caused me a lot of problem as my school mates made fun of me in the class,'' he said.
Modu, like many children in Borno, is a victim of cleft palate or cleft lip.
The disease is the most common facial birth defect, and the second most common birth defect worldwide.
The word "cleft" means a separation or split, while "palate" means roof of the mouth.
Thus, a cleft palate is a split in the roof of the mouth and a cleft lip is a split in the lip.
Medical science says a cleft in the lip can be a tiny notch in the upper lip or a large gap that extends from the upper lip into the nose.
According to medical publications, a cleft lip can be referred to as a harelip, meaning that the lip is split like the lip of a hare or rabbit.
''This ancient reference also has ties to witchcraft, and therefore is not a term that is well liked by those who have a cleft or those who have children with a cleft,'' says a medical journal.
''The term should be avoided.''
The journal also states that a cleft palate may range from a small hole in the roof of the mouth to a large gap that can cause eating, speaking or breathing problems for the patient.
Modu, who had to undergo surgery at the NOMA Hospital in Sokoto to repair his face, is now back to school.
''I am now in primary five and if Allah permits, I will complete my primary and secondary school education and proceed to the university to fulfil my life ambition of becoming a medical doctor,'' he says.
Available medical records in Borno show that Modu is not the only victim of the defect.
Nura Mustapha, 25, says he has been living with the defect for more than 20 years.
''It started with a small boil which resisted all medications until the side of my mouth was ripped opened.
''I lived a secluded life, and it has been very uncomfortable relating with my peers over the years.
''I never thought I will live a normal life again until 2005 when I was sponsored by the Borno state government for surgery at the NOMA Hospital.
Also infected with the disease is Manyam Abubakar, a five-year-old boy, who lives with his parents in the Bulunkutu area of the Maiduguri metropolis.
His father, Malam Abubakar, says a boil was first noticed on the boy's cheek when he was a year old.
''The disease gradually ate up a substantial part of the boy's mouth, causing him to salivate uncontrollably.
''With the successful operation at the NOMA Hospital, it is now difficult to detect that my son had suffered from such an ailment, except for the scar left by stitches on his face,'' Abubakar says.
No fewer than 100 children have so far benefited from the treatment sponsored by the state government at the NOMA Hospital.
Dr Brahim Kida, the state Director of Medical Services, says the infection is diagnosed as ''cleft lip and cleft palate disease'', contrary to the general perception that the patients have NOMA disease.
NOMA, medically referred to cancrum oris, is a gangrenous infection on the faces of its victims, usually poverty-stricken and malnourished young children.
The initial ulcers in the mouth finally leave a gaping hole in the mouth of the patient.
''We have discovered that NOMA is no longer common in the state.
''But rather, we have children born with facial defect which is referred to in medical parlance as cleft lip and cleft palate,'' the director says.
Kida, who is also the Coordinator of theNOMA programme in Borno, says the disease is common among children with low and unbalanced diet.
''It starts usually with a boil on the chick and gradually develops by eating up the muscles around parts of the mouth.
''It reaches a stage when the entire teeth are exposed. Then, there will be no control of the system as food, water and saliva drop while the patient eats.
''The causative agent is bacteria which is as a result of malnutrition,'' he explains.
Kida says cleft palate is not peculiar to Borno, citing the republics of Niger and Chad.
The state government, he says, is determined to stamp out the disease, as more than 65 patients have so far been sponsored at the NOMA Hospital for surgery and treatment.
Kida also says the state has been divided into three zones to ensure that all citizens benefit from the gesture.
''Treatment for a single patient costs between N45,000 and N65,000 at the
University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital,but treatment at the Germany-assisted NOMA Hospital is free,'' he says.
The medical director gives an assurance that the Gov. Ali Sheriff administration will sustain the gesture until the disease is fully eradicated in the state.
As commendable as the government's free treatment programme is, it is expected that more patients can be reached so that the debilitating disease is stamped out.
Until this is done, government's effort to enhance the wellbeing of the people may for long remain a mirage.
source :NAN fatures
