Yobe partners London varsity to tackle kidney disease – Buni
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe on Wednesday says the state is ready to partner with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London University College, to tackle kidney disease in the state.
This is contained in a statement by Buni’s Director-General, Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed in Damaturu.
According to Mohammed, Buni is currently in London seeking a remedy to kidney disease bedevilling some parts of the state.
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“Yobe Governor, Mai Mala Buni CON, has taken the fight against kidney disease affecting the state, to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the London University College.
“The Governor, in a meeting with renowned Epidemiologists, said the state lost many people living on the banks of river Yobe to Kidney failure, and many more, now patients of the disease.
“The figure of people dying and others as patients is very worrisome and that calls for quick action to save the communities.
“I am equally worried that a large number of the productive population are getting more affected,” he said.
Mohammed quoted Buni as calling for a quick and active intervention to save the people, assuring that his administration was prepared for every partnership and collaboration that would provide solution to the menace.
Buni said some data had been generated by the Yobe Teaching Hospital to facilitate and fast track research and diagnosis into the cause of the disease and advanced studies.
“I am optimistic that you would partner with us to find solution to the disease to save our people and others in the neighbouring states also lined up along the banks of the river,” the governor said.
Prof. Neil Peace, an internationally celebrated epidemiologist at the College, said the data generated would be used to establish the causative agents which would push for finding a solution.
“We have conducted studies in Malawi and Kenya in Africa, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and India ,” he said.
Peace said though research on such diseases were expensive, the collaboration would look for international funding to assist the research.
Also, Prof. Ben Caplin, a nephrologist at the College, who specialises in population-based clinical and laboratory studies, noted that it was important to establish the causes of the disease.
He commended Buni for his interest in finding solution to the problem facing the communities.
“The only solution to this problem is to find out the possible causes and mitigate the causes as a solution to the disease to save this population and indeed the future generation,” Caplin said.
