VESICO VAGINAL FISTULA: THE PLAGUE THAT NO ONE SEEMS TO NOTICE
It is not Ebola, this is not Zika Virus disease, no, this is a gender specific non-contagious disease mostly prevalent among the poor, and helpless women of the society, I am speaking of Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) the silent destroyer of women the world over.
I am not a doctor, but as a patriotic citizen who feels the plight of the ordinary man, i want to use this medium to raise awareness and consciousness about the disease that is ravaging our women and rendering their daily existences burdensome with many extreme cases leading to death of the victims.
I know many people do not have the slightest Knowledge of this disease, it is a true killer that should be exposed. I hope you read through and also take a stand to do something to help our women.
ALARMING STATISTICS:
For you to clearly understand the gravity of what our Nigerian women face and the exponential growth rate of the VVF scourge, let me bring to your notice this alarming statistical analysis.
In 2012, the vanguard news paper on July 20th issue, reported that an alarming 12,000 women develop VVF in Nigeria annually according to a report by the National Demographic Health Survey.
Three years Later, In 2015, the United Nations Revised report issued in Premium Times Newspaper, on August 8, revealed that a staggering 800,000 women develop this same disease annually.
Within 3 years, there was an alarming 6500% increase in the number of reported cases and the major age group affected are those in the age range of less than 18 years with the rate of getting this disease being inversely proportional to the age. This means that the lower you go in the age of the women the higher likelihood of getting vvf.
WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW?
Knowledge of a problem is the first step in solving same. You can help young mothers and other women around you seek and obtain comprehensive solutions before the disease escalates.
1. Vesicovaginal fistula: It is identified as a vaginal fistula that opens into the urinary tract. The vesicovaginal wall, which is a single wall that connects the bladder to the vagina is very thin and can easily form a deep enough hole to open into the bladder. For the purpose of this article, this will be our man point of discourse.
WHAT CAUSES VVF?
Fistula can be caused by several factors, which may include rape, prolonged infection and prolonged labour. However, in Nigeria the Major cause is child birth according to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The Nigerian society being faced with the broader causes such as poor health care and a failed corrupt health and transportation system reminiscent of the failure of the entire systems in Nigeria.
Due to the poor health system and abject poverty, women often subscribe to alternative sources of child delivery methods which include trado-medical and self help systems.
When these young mothers have prolonged, obstructed and unrelieved labour, their lives are usually at stake. Most times it results in the loss of lives of either or both the mother and child. If and when they finally put to bed, a hole may develop in the vaginal wall that if left untreated could lead to the full blown development of a vaginal Fistula.
The UNFPA identified three major delays that contribute to the rise in the cases of fistulas nationwide. They are:
I am not a doctor, but as a patriotic citizen who feels the plight of the ordinary man, i want to use this medium to raise awareness and consciousness about the disease that is ravaging our women and rendering their daily existences burdensome with many extreme cases leading to death of the victims.
I know many people do not have the slightest Knowledge of this disease, it is a true killer that should be exposed. I hope you read through and also take a stand to do something to help our women.
ALARMING STATISTICS:
For you to clearly understand the gravity of what our Nigerian women face and the exponential growth rate of the VVF scourge, let me bring to your notice this alarming statistical analysis.
In 2012, the vanguard news paper on July 20th issue, reported that an alarming 12,000 women develop VVF in Nigeria annually according to a report by the National Demographic Health Survey.
Three years Later, In 2015, the United Nations Revised report issued in Premium Times Newspaper, on August 8, revealed that a staggering 800,000 women develop this same disease annually.
Within 3 years, there was an alarming 6500% increase in the number of reported cases and the major age group affected are those in the age range of less than 18 years with the rate of getting this disease being inversely proportional to the age. This means that the lower you go in the age of the women the higher likelihood of getting vvf.
WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW?
Knowledge of a problem is the first step in solving same. You can help young mothers and other women around you seek and obtain comprehensive solutions before the disease escalates.
WHAT IS VVF?
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| VVF Depiction |
WebMd has a great approach to defining Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) as detailed below.
Fistula:
A fistula is a passage or hole that has formed between:
- Two organs in your body.
- An organ in your body and your skin.
A fistula that has formed in the wall of the vagina is called a vaginal fistula. Therefore a vaginal fistula is a hole that is formed through the walls of the vagina and opens through to another part of the body.
The online web encyclopedia and guide went further identify several forms of Vaginal Fistula
2. Rectovaginal fistula: A vaginal fistula that opens into the rectum.
3. Colovaginal fistula A type of vaginal fistula that opens into the colon is called .
4. Enterovaginal fistula: This is a vaginal fistula that opens into the small bowel is called
WHAT CAUSES VVF?
Fistula can be caused by several factors, which may include rape, prolonged infection and prolonged labour. However, in Nigeria the Major cause is child birth according to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The Nigerian society being faced with the broader causes such as poor health care and a failed corrupt health and transportation system reminiscent of the failure of the entire systems in Nigeria.
Due to the poor health system and abject poverty, women often subscribe to alternative sources of child delivery methods which include trado-medical and self help systems.
When these young mothers have prolonged, obstructed and unrelieved labour, their lives are usually at stake. Most times it results in the loss of lives of either or both the mother and child. If and when they finally put to bed, a hole may develop in the vaginal wall that if left untreated could lead to the full blown development of a vaginal Fistula.
The UNFPA identified three major delays that contribute to the rise in the cases of fistulas nationwide. They are:
- delay in seeking medical attention
- delay in reaching a medical facility
- and delay in receiving medical care once arriving at a health care facility.
Other major causes include sexual abuse and molestation, especially in under-aged girls. VVF is very common in Northern Nigeria where the Majority of the Population are mostly Muslim and marry of their daughters at tender ages. When there is a forced penetration, the Vaginal wall may rupture leaving these women with one form of Fistula or the other.
DIAGNOSIS AND COMMON SYMPTOMS:
Proper VVF diagnosis can be done by a doctor in the hospital using several methods including visual examination. Mostly, VVF itself is painless but will usually display symptoms that are peculiar to the sufferer of the disease.
Below are the most common symptoms:
Below are the most common symptoms:
- Foul Smelling discharge from the vagina
- Fluid leaking out of the vagina
- Soreness and pain in the vaginal wall
TREATMENT
Treatment is mainly by surgery. Sometimes, the tissue around the affected area needs to heal first before the surgery can be successfully carried out.
Treatment is mainly by surgery. Sometimes, the tissue around the affected area needs to heal first before the surgery can be successfully carried out.
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