At long last residents of Asuboi, in the Offinso Municipality have received treatment for river blindness. Health officials earlier in September, raised concerns about their inability to reach the farming community where 70 per cent of 2500 population had been infected with the disease. Less than three months after Joy News broke the story, officials of the Ministry of Health have fulfilled their promise of providing free treatment to residents. Nhyira Fm’s Ohemeng Tawiah who first broke the story reports some of the residents complain about side effects of the medication administered to them. A woman is said to have had her pregnancy terminated, and there is a general belief it is the result of the anti-river blindness drug. Infected persons including school children were given Ivermectin tablets to dose-off the infection. Information available indicates the drug was discovered in 1974 by a Japanese scientist, Professor Satoshi Omura. It has since proved effective for treating diseases in humans and animals. Experts say it can overpower the worm that causes Onchocerciasis or river blindness when used consistently for a period of between ten and 15 years. Though side effects associated to its use have been described as mild, fatigue is the most frequent alongside abdominal pain, dizziness and vomiting. Despite the relief the treatment has brought, the farmers say they have had to battle the side effects, and some are afraid the situation could be more dangerous than they estimate. Asuboi Asonahene said ‘my hands are itching after taking the drugs. Looking at how my hands are itching, it appears its effect can be more harmful than good’. Another woman complained ‘my body itched for several days. I also experienced dizziness. I couldn’t go to farm for one week’ she recounted while a 45-year-old man said he ‘developed rashes again on my body especially on my buttocks. My skin looks exactly like a pig’. But it appears majority of residents had prior information on the side effects of the drugs. Health officials spent several weeks to prepare residents especially on the use. Despite public education on the drugs, some residents appear to have ignored the instructions. Thirty-two-year-old John Kwabena Adu who looked disturbed said one of his two wives had her two-month-old pregnancy terminated after taking the drugs. But Mr. Adu blames health officials for failing to warn residents especially pregnant women about the dangers associated with the drug, an accusation health officials have denied. ‘I took the drugs together with my two wives, one of whom was pregnant. She was out of town during the sensitization program, and nobody cautioned her it was dangerous for pregnant women to take the drugs. 'She bled after taking the drugs; I suspect the pregnancy has been terminated.’, disturbed Mr. Adu noted. But Health Officials have allayed the fears of residents, saying the conditions are not permanent. Municipal Health Director for Offinso, Francis Osei says a rapid response centers have been set up at nearby Abofuor Health Center and at the Municipal Assembly office to deal with any recurrence. He is unhappy only few of the farmers have reported conditions associated with the drug use to nearby health facilities. Meanwhile, a contract has been awarded for construction of a community-based health planning and services center for residents of Asuboi. Ashanti Regional Deputy Minister, Animah Wilson, says the project is estimated to cost GHC36,000 Ghana cedis. She assured with funds available, the project will be completed on time to provide first aid to residents in the area. Story by: Ohemeng Tawiah/Nhyira Fm/Kumasi-Ghana