FUD Research Team Launches Sample Collection Against Kidney Failure In Hadejia Communities
Umar Akilu Majeri
As part of the Federal University Dutse FUD Research team’s effort to find the root cause of the high rate of kidney diseases in Hadeijia valley which extends from Zakirai of Kano state through Hadeijia in Jigawa state, up to Nguru and Gashua in Yobe state, the researchers from Federal University Dutse who earlier won an N36 million TETFUND research grant has launched a sample collection for the project in Hadeijia town.
The Principal Investigating officer in the research team, Dr. Muhammad Isa Auyo who led the team to Hadejia Emir palace Alhaji Adamu Abubakar Maje, CON said the team was in Hadeijia to flag off the sample collection for their research on the high rate of kidney failure in Hadeijia which is they discovered as the highest in the world.
Dr. Auyo said as a son of the emirate who has a firsthand experience with people with kidney failure, he assembled a team of researchers and they wrote a proposal to TETFUND on the Chronic Kidney Diseases of Unknown Etiology in Hadeijia Valley which they defended and got the approval to carry out adding that N17 million has been released recently which helped the team to purchase all the necessary equipment for the research.
He told the Emir that he was personally committed to doing the research because he has lost nine family members to kidney failure adding that his immediate younger sister just died from the disease last month.
He said the team is suspecting the presence of environmental toxins in foods and the polymorphism of metallothionein gene as the cause of the disease.
The Principal of the team said they will collect water, soil, fish, cereals, fruits and vegetables, milk, meat, herbs, grass, and tree shoot every 10 kilometers in Hadeijia, Zakirai, Nguru ànd Gashua for the research adding that the research will take 20 months to complete.
He said at the end of their findings, they will make recommendations to the government on what to do to tackle the disease.
Dr. Auyo said the team consists of ten Medical Consultants, Environmentalists, Molecular Biologists, and Technicians among others.
He appealed to the Emirate council to sensitize members of the public on the commencement of the sample collection.
The Galadima of Hadeijia, Alhaji Usman Abdulaziz who received the research team in the palace thank them for their interest in finding the causes of kidney diseases in the emirate adding that the emirate will give its full support to the project because they are concerned about finding a lasting solution to the problem.
He said the emirate will immediately inform the jumat mosques Imams, and all District Heads, Ward Heads and all Village Heads in the emirate of the presence of researchers in the emirate for the next 20 months so that every person in Hadeijia will give their full cooperation.
He prayed to Allah to grant them success in their research and reward them for trying to find a solution to a problem bedeviling society.
