Over forty children in Wajir suffer rare skin condition

Over forty children in Wajir and its environ villages  are suffering a rare full body skin condition.

Hassan Salat Ghedi and Abshir Salat suffer the rare skin complications currently sweeping through parts of Wajir North Sub-county.

The disease identified as ichthyosis presents symptoms of excessively painful, dry and scaly skin.

According to residents of Wajir, the disease was new and nobody understood how children got it, how they can prevent it or how it can be treated.

Salat Ghedi, a father to the ailing Children who spoke to Goobjoog News said that Abshir  who is disabled is in  dire condition.

Ghedi said he was born with the disease.

According to the father to the ailing Children, Abshir is most affected; the disease has eaten into his bones, disabling and disfiguring him.

“Baby Abshir’s head has dead skin that had formed into lumps. The boy also has a deformity on his legs and hands,” said Ghedi.

He noted that his son who is now 10 years-old  been referred to Kenyatta National Hospital for specialised treatment.

“Abshir was referred to Kenyatta Hospital on Monday. Four others were admitted to Wajir County Referral Hospital.

“All those years the problem has grown from bad to worse,” he said.

Gedi said they have been applying animal fats to Abshir’s body to ease the pain but “all these did not help. The severe sunshine worsened his condition”.

The rare condition first came to the limelight late last month after well-wishers shared Misky Bashir’s photo on social media asking for help.

Gedi appealed for help from well-wishers to save his children.

Kenyans On Twitter (KOT)this week  joined residents of Wajir County in appealing to the government to investigate a rare skin condition affecting children in Buna area.

Speaking after receiving  Abshir who is suffering from acute dry skin – a disease associated to ichthyosis, the residents said 10 other children in the area were suffering from the same disease.

“Baby Abshir represents the face and the plight of children living with this condition. But I can confirm to you as of yesterday and up to this morning, nine other cases of children with the same condition were brought to Wajir District Hospital,” Mohamud Abbas, one of the Kenyans On Twitter who offered to help raise funds to airlift the boy to Nairobi for treatment explained.

“The situation warrants checking whether there is anything, whether environmental… whether it’s genetically or nutritionally motivated.”