Food burn diseases are common phenomenal in this part of the globe occasioned by unhygienic condition of illiterates fast food sellers in Benin metropolis and beyond.
Cockroaches are highly detested and people would do anything to eliminate the insects because of it’s dirty nature.
A respondence Mrs. Omoigue said, “I hate cockroach any time I find one I will run after it with a broom until I kill it dead. But on a particular scenario. I feel that on the floor in attempt to kill it. In fact I had to be rushed by my grand children to nearest medical facility.” Cockroaches are capable of transmitting diverse bacterials to exposed food.
The emergence of oven a hundred cockroaches in a home in Benin metropolis was shrouded in mysteries as the Land Lord regarded it was an evil machination of enemies. The victim, a landlord at Upper Mission who will like to remain anonymous said, “I have to contact my Pastor who quickly responded by consecrating the house with olive oil and cockroaches were anyhilated in their hundreds. The Pastor told me that the enemy were at work out by the Grace of God they will not succeed.
Another respondent Mrs. Omo Ojo, a retailer of fast food said, “cockroaches de dangerous well well. They come at night to feed on left overs in the kitchen and shit on soup and stew. If the pots is not covered properly.” My children do complain of stomach pain every time. So, I decided to purchase red and white capsule from our neighbourhood chemist. As long as my children feed on these food the symptoms persisted.
However, help eventually came my way when my brother who is a medical Doctor asked me to go and conduct laboratory test. The result indicated that some bacterials were responsible. So, I was advised to ensure that all food stuff and soup were well covered every time.”
Another danger posed by cockroaches in home is that they can feed on human toes. A victim of this circumstance said that in about a couple of years back a cockroaches fed on my toes and this systematically led to sores. I was consequently referred to Ogan Hospital near Abudu for treatment. He said that if not for this quick intervention she could have been carrying sores around till date.
Many people seem to be oblivious of the health hazards confronting the end users of second hand products such as toys and jewelries imported from Europe and America. According to UN report these second hand toys are shrouded in lead poisons.
It is not rhetoric to say that fish and meat sold in our markets are health hazards for human consumption as most of them had been slightly eaten by rates.
A respondent Mrs. Omigie a retail seller of “Bunga fish” said, “rats usually come at night to eat Bunga fish and shit on top of fish. And my children love “Garri” and Bunga fish” for breakfast, so, they just pick up Bunga fish and Garri Soak in water before going to school. After some months the children complained of belle trouble; so I go buy red and white capsules from Mr. Oni Chemist near us. As they continue to feed on this fish, the problem did not go away. My neighbour told me that it is better to go to hospital to find out the course of the problem. The Doctor said I must stop giving the kids Garri and Bunga fish for breakfast. He also told me to make sure that my Bunga fish and Garri are well covered to prevent rats from feeding and shiting on it, because they carry gems that can cause sickness when I followed his advise, my children are now well fed and no longer sick.
A visit to New Benin Market and other markets in Benin Metropolis will reveal that thousands of flies that feed on human waste defecated on the gutters by raw yams retail traders also perch on raw meat and also defecate on them. The unsuspecting consumers very often do not pay attention to the danger of consuming these meat without cooking it well before eating. So they could develop diverse stomach disorder and very often they resort to self medication.
A visit to any of the market in the nook and crannies of the city will reveal this ugly scenario where primary health care delivery had been thrown to the wind. The genuine attempt by Governor Adams Oshiomhole to mop up the menace had failed to yield positive result – as the yule-tide period of Christmas had compounded the issue of environmental sanitation.
In the early sixties as a child, sanitation which the British health inspectors never took for granted have been thrown to the mud. Our primary health care enlightenment campaign is no longer making any sense to the present day health officials. “Ikoriko” as they were sometime referred to have out lived their usefulness.
I am optimistic that these sanitary inspectors in Benin metropolis and beyond will take pragmatic steps in returning to the statutory of the British who taught market women and retailers about basic elementary hygiene.
There should be strict compliance of protecting fish, meat, fried “Akara” fried Pork meat and other edible fast food by introducing transparent boxes in all marks and all road side sellers of the items, sanitary inspectors should not shy away from their fiduciary responsibility of disseminating information to market women, butchers, meat sellers and all other stakeholders in the primary health care delivery.
