The Hindu : Kerala News : Attappady tribals face threat of extinction

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Saturday, Dec 08, 2007
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Kerala

Attappady tribals face threat of extinction

Staff Reporter

30 to 40% of tribal couples face infertility problems

Many suffer from sickle cell anaemia
Incidence of thrombo angiitis obliterans

ATTAPPADY: The aboriginal tribes of Attappady, with their rich culture and tradition that go beyond the Vedic times, seem doomed to extinction afflicted with major health problems like infertility, sickle cell anaemia, tuberculosis and thrombo angiitis obliterans (TAO).

A recent survey conducted by the Health Department found that 30 to 40 per cent of tribal couples of reproductive age are facing infertility problems.

The Attappady tribes have already been marginalised and if these serious health problems are not tackled on a war footing there is a probability of them becoming extinct in the long run as already happened in other places, say experts.

Chief medical officer of Kottathara Government Tribal Specialty Hospital Prabhudas told The Hindu that the survey conducted in January-February this year found that of the 3,600 young married tribal couples, 32 to 40 per cent had infertility problems.

“Every month, 20 to 30 new cases of infertility are detected in the screening done at the primary health centres and the hospitals at Agali and Kottathara,” he said.

Dr. Prabhudas said in addition to that, 20 to 30 per cent were suffering from sickle cell anaemia that affected reproductive capability.

Genetic disorder

Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder of blood. Sickle cell gene carriers have one defective gene of sickle haemoglobin and do not have any problem pertaining to the disease. But those with the disease (tested positive) have a pair of defective genes of sickle haemoglobin, inheriting one each from the parents. They suffer from severe anaemia, repeated episodes of infections – which may be life threatening at time – pain in limbs, abdomen and chest and of course paralysis. Most of them die in their early childhood unless treatment is initiated.

The marriage between a sickle cell afflicted man and woman is dangerous because 25 per cent of the children born out of such wedlock are found afflicted with the disease, a study some time back by a team of experts from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, found.

Dr. Prabhudas said that the main reason for infertility among women was urinary infection caused in the absence of personal hygiene.

Poor hygience

“During monthly periods, tribal women do not use cotton pads or cloth. As there is shortage of water, especially in schools, they have very poor hygiene. This results in urinary inflection. Their early age and repeated sexual contacts compound the problem,” he said.

If the cloth is not clean enough, the uterus tubes might get infected and be blocked. The general ill health of tribal women is another major problem of infertility, Dr. Prabhudas said.

He said among men, there was absence of healthy sperm. Those afflicted with STD some times lost their reproductive capacity. Those afflicted with TB and sickle cell anaemia also suffered from infertility.

He said that though the survey report was sent to the District Medical Officer, no action had been taken to counter the problem.

Dr. Prabhudas said that since many tribals had sickle cell anaemia in their genes, they were easily vulnerable to TAP once they were addicted to liquor or ganja. The deadly TAO crippled large number of tribal people and the legs of many had been amputated.

He said if these serious health problems were not tackled immediately, the tribal population in Attappady would decline and in the long run face extinction.

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