USA Africa Dialogue Series - ADDRESSING THE RISING RATES OF AUTISM IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC OF DISCUSSION:

ADDRESSING THE RISING RATES OF AUTISM IN AFRICAN COMMUNITIES

 

PLEASE JOIN THIS WEEK'S DISCUSSION LIVE BY PHONE AND SKYPE

WHEN: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12^th, 2011
TIME: 12: 00 PM-1: 00 PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME

CALL THIS NUMBER DURING THE SHOW: (760) 283-0850

TO JOIN BY SKYPE, ADD:  AFRICANVIEWS (CALL IN DURING SHOWTIME)

 

HOST: Dr. Ladi Owolabi                                CO-HOST: Mrs Regina Askia Williams, RN

 

LISTEN TO THIS RADIO PROGRAM ARCHIVES AT: www.africanviews.org/av-radio

 

 

ABOUT AFRICAN HEALTH DIALOGUES

 

African Health Dialogues is a weekly health care discussion on AV radio about awareness, progress and gaps, costs and accessibility of medical /pharmaceutical products and services within the African and African Diaspora communities Worldwide. The program is being facilitated by African Views (AV), Life-Scope Africa Foundation (LAF), and Phameds International. Objective of the program is to provide health literacy, advocacy, and inspire consensus and leadership roles in improving public health care status in underserved communities

 

Host: Dr. Ladi Owolabi

Specialist: Regina Askia Williams, RN
Expert Private Sector's perspective: Mr. Folusho Obe

Quality control: Mr. William A. Verdone

Director and Producer: Mr. Wale Idris Ajibade

 

UPCOMING EPISODES

·      Counterfeit & Substandard Drugs in Africa, A major issue 

·      Mobile and e- Health care delivery in Africa (?)

·      Child Maltreatment Prevention

·      Autism

·      Sleeping Sickness

·      Mental illness

 

 

 

TOPIC'S BACKGROUND:

 

Over thirty years ago, a man named Victor Lotter took a tour of Africa looking for autism cases. He visited "collections" of mentally handicapped children in institutions in nine cities in six African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa) in hopes that he would be able to find evidence of autism in high concentrations of mentally impaired children. "

 

What Lotter found in Africa surprised him, namely that "the number of autistic children found was much smaller than expected." Only 9 of the 1312 mentally handicapped children he saw in nine cities were autistic (a rate of 1 in 145, nearly the same as the autism rate today in the entire US childhood population!).  He had expected to see over 1 in 20. Around that time, clinicians in Nigeria and later in Kenya confirmed that autism indeed was present among African children but found it rare enough that it was worthwhile for them to give detailed profiles of just four and three cases, respectively.

 

But the search for African cases has continued sporadically, and has led to an interesting recent twist. A couple of years ago, one of the most doctrinaire "autism is genetic" American researchers, in a major break with orthodox doctrine, conceded the idea that there might be such a thing as regressive autism. Not in America, of course, but in Tanzania. A group led by Susan Folstein recently examined reports that previously typical children could acquire autism after a malaria infection. In a group of 14 autistic children, Folstein's group conceded that in at least three cases "the relationship between onset of autism and severe malaria seems clear" and that in four additional cases there was a possible relationship. That implies that as many as half of the autism cases seen in African populations could be acquired and not genetic. This was surprising enough, but it was not the only unusual implication. If malaria can cause autism, then of course Africa should be full of autism cases!

 

Please join us this week as we attempt to take fresh look at the growing rate of autism in African communities. Clearly, the link between autism and malaria makes no sense at all if autism rates are low in Africa. How do we deal with these contractions? What exactly is autism? What are the characteristics of Autism? What Causes of Autism? Why are cases of autism rates remarkably high among Africans who migrate to Western countries?  Why are most autism rates in Africa occurring in elite families with access to Western health services?  What does it take to connect the dots here? Since there are no treatments for autism, what kind of behavioral intervention programs are available?

 

AFRICAN VIEWS