ARV CHICKEN, THE KILLER BREED IN KENYA

 

Shocked by the heading? Yeah, that was my exact reaction too. So it turns out most of the sumptuous chicken most of us have been enjoying is not only pumped with what we thought was the worst case scenario, hormones, but also antiretroviral (ARV) drugs!

A few weeks back one of my relatives was researching on chicken feeds for our chicken project. Her first stop was a livestock and poultry feeds depot belonging to one of the biggest companies in Kenya that for obvious reasons I’d rather not name. Being a typical Kenyan, my relative obviously asked for the most cost effective feeds available in the market, in order to maximize profit. The sales lady was very shocked and her first question was “mum, kwani hujui siri ya kupata pesa mob kwa kufuga kuku?” Clearly my relative seemed to have absolutely no knowledge of current ‘survival tactics’ in poultry farming.

The jovial sales attendant continued to explain the latest poultry farming ‘discovery’. “You don’t have to spend too much on chicken feeds; you just need to become more innovative”. My relative was very excited to hear this latest innovation. As you’ve already guessed, she was advised to buy less chicken feed and mix it with ARVs, in order to get much better results in a shorter time-span. The antiretroviral drugs according to the attendant make chicken bigger and heavier in a record 3 weeks!

Kienyeji chicken, which is my poultry farming preference, under normal circumstances take an average growth span of six months to grow from chicks to layers. With recent developments like genetic engineering, chicken are able to grow in less than half the normal period, but genetic engineering may not be as dangerous as hormone and ARV use.

So, what effect could ARVs have on chicken that makes them grow extremely fast?

One of the reasons why the rapid gain in weight would occur is excessive fat accumulation. Now this is an unproven and very speculative theory I must say, because so far I’ve not seen any research or test results on ARV use on chicken; for obvious reasons. I’ve not heard of chicken infected with HIV hence ARVs are manufactured for human not poultry use.  For this reason, it’s not a shocker that ARVs would have adverse effects on poultry.

There’s need for research by the relevant bodies; Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the rest I haven’t named here including KEMRI, in order to ensure that ingredients that can potentially harm Kenyans are not used in farming or food production. 

The biggest risk of misusing ARVs is the fact that if there’s any need for a person to use ARVs in the future for treatment or prophylaxis, the drugs will not work. This is because inconsistent use of not just ARVs, but most drugs leads to resistance of that particular drug in the body. The question however is, after the ARV drug is ingested by the chicken, can it affect the person ingesting the chicken’s meat?

So, what’s the solution for Kenyans? One, buy your meat and groceries from people you know and hopefully they’ll sell you safe products. We all however know how hard that is, especially for urban and specifically Nairobi residents. For those near Karen area, you can purchase groceries and meats from the “Organic Farmers Market” in Karen. But I must tell you the prices might not be very friendly for most people.  

The best option to avoid eating foods that could potentially harm you is to produce your own food. Well, for chicken and other animals you have to pay the city council if you’re in urban towns. One thing I would love all Kenyans to adopt is kitchen gardening.  You don’t need a large parcel of land to do kitchen gardening or small-scale poultry farming. All you need is to utilize your space wisely.  For urban residents and any person with limited space, there are many gardening options from hanging gardens, flowerpot gardening to sack gardening and so much more. For poultry farming you may need to work with a professional carpenter to construct for you an easy to clean chicken coup that will best suit your space.

For now, be very careful the next time you buy chicken. You might as well be introducing your system to ARVs and God knows what else!

MOTHERS DAY? WHO CARES?

Mothers day as most would agree with me is a big deal to over 90% of the world population. Fathers day on the other hand more often than not go unnoticed. Have you ever asked yourself why you care about mothers day and mothers in general, as much as you do, or are you simply grateful your mum gave you life.
Well, I'm sure you have your reasons for treasuring mothers' day. But is this day over rated?  Who cares whether mothers get recognition or not? Who cares whether mothers die giving life or not?
I care! I care for the mother whose husband just left, and she has to fend for all her children's needs single-handedly;
I care for the little girl whose childhood was cut short by boko haram criminals and is forced to take care of a baby, yet she's a child herself. Who will give this young child mother her own childhood back?
I care for the mentally challenged woman who was forced into motherhood by a sane fool and she somehow has to bring up a child, though she has no idea really what she's doing. God help us!
I care for the homeless mother who was chased away from her  matrimonial home by her ruthless mother in-law in the name of bewitching her son, her husband;
I care for the weeping widow whose property was cruelly snatched away her in-laws after her husband's sudden demise, and has to start life all over;
I care for the weeping mother-to-be whose boyfriend denied responsibility for her pregnancy, after promising her the sun and moon, and she's now considering an abortion, a procedure that could take away both hers and her child's life;
I care for the mother whose husband infected her with HIV, and hers and her children's future is now a mirage, an uncertain dream she may have to wake up from;
I care for the young naive college girl whose 'rich' boyfriend just demanded for an abortion, with the excuse he's married! What was that? You're judging her? My friend unless you've walked a mile in another person's shoes, leave it alone! I agree there are some very wreckless women with no respect for marriage and relationships in general, but I do care for the women who genuinely get screwed up because they were made to believe the person they were in a relationship with is single. Well, that's just me. I do care.
I care for the mother whose husband doesn't support her financially despite the fact that he earns more than double the amount she does;
I care for the mother who has literally been turned into a drum, being beaten day in day out.But the rhythm in her case is tears of sorrow and pain. Which obviously go unnoticed by her care-free so called husband;
I care for the mother who has to stand at a cold corner at night, hoping to find a customer to offer her once most sacred treasure, to a beast that cares-less about her feelings or emotions. Huh? You're judging again? Well, I hope to one day be a billionaire and get such women off the streets and give them hope and a new lease on life but until then, I can only sympathize from a distance and pray to the Almighty to change their situation and if you can't help either, quit judging;


I care for the grandmother whose children hardly visit her or support her and loneliness is her only companion in her old age;

I care for the mother who was raped, and she has to love her child and protect her from the harsh reality that she's not a fruit of love, but a product of a hideous act, a gross violation;
I care for all the single mother who has to double up as mommy and daddy for their little angel, a mother who has to explain to her little boy why he doesn't live with his daddy, like his other friends;
I care for that mother deep in thought, staring into the horizon wondering what the future holds for her and her children, a future now uncertain, since the beautiful skinny light-skinned young girl showed up; She weeps as she stares at the divorce papers from her once prince charming turned beast, a cold hearted creature who cares less about her emotional torture, or her bleeding heart, her one true love who could care less whether she lived or died;

I care for the young future mother deeply hooked in drugs, a once sweet angel now turned dark by the cruel harsh world; by a man who gave her life, a man she thought she could trust, turned terrible beast and took away her innocence; a future mother who no longer sees the beautiful treasure in her;
I care for the special woman with a big heart, a mother at whose heart bleeds day and night, an unending agony brought by the harsh reality that she can never have her own child; but she still is a mother. A mother to numerous children abandoned, children who need her to spread her angel wings and realize God's purpose for her life is to adopt a little angel with no hope for a future, and bring light into that child's life;
I care above all else for all mothers who spend sleepless nights on their knees praying for their children's safety and prosperity;

I care for all the mothers who go through hell to protect and provide for their little ones, no matter the circumstance. Special beings created by God to be just that, special. Special beings who would without second thought give their own lives for the sake of a child, even a child they didn't personally give life. Women who understand their purpose on earth. A purpose to not just give birth to children, but to love, nurture, give hope, illuminate, provide and bless their lives.

Mothers day is a day for all women; because all women were created and ordained by God to be mothers. Mothers to all creation created by God. Mothers to all off-spring, by birth or by divine positioning.
Happy Mothers day to all women, and most specially to three special women in my life who to me are the exemplification of super woman. Women of indescribable strength, hard work, patience, wisdom and zeal. Women with a fighting attitude who fell, rose, fell again and didn't just rise but soared. My mum and two grandmothers. You're the reason for my never-giving-up attitude and independent mind. I've learn't to be a great warrior, one who stands tall in all seasons, even in the valley of the shadow of death, because I do know where my pillar of strength is.  From your lives I've learn't God allows us to go through hell just to get us into heaven.
May God richly bless you and give you long life, excellent health and even more strength.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!

DIABETES ALARMINGLY RISING IN KENYA!

As you may have already figured out by now, I’m not a big fun of urbanization, the major reason being the numerous health issues it has brought about in Kenya and Africa; one of the most serious and expensive being Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).

Recent research has indicated that NCDs are alarmingly on the rise in Kenya, the highest prevalence being diabetes, hypertension, obesity and cancer. For now, we’ll discuss diabetes. This is one disease I personally HATE to the core, for among other reasons, taking my dad’s life mercilessly and miserably. Unlike most people’s belief, misconception and wrong advice by some health professionals, Diabetes is a very preventable and manageable disease. The major reason why diabetes is killing a lot of Kenyans is lack of information, lack of health education and mishandling by some professionals who don’t really understand the disease.  

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar. We’ll discuss more about insulin on another article. 

The most common types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes; previously known as insulin-dependent, juvenile or childhood-onset diabetes and type 2 diabetes; formerly called non-insulin-dependent or adult-onset diabetes. Another type of diabetes common in women is Gestational diabetes; which is hyperglycemia (raised blood sugar) with onset or first recognition during pregnancy.

Other common conditions closely related to diabetes are impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and impaired fasting glycaemia (IFG). These are intermediate conditions in the transition between ‘normal’ health and diabetes. People with IGT or IFG are at high risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, however the progression can be avoided through medical attention and appropriate health education.  

Type 1 diabetes is characterized by deficiency in insulin production in the body and requires daily administration of insulin. The exact cause of type 1diabetes has so far not been proven, but there have been speculations of genetics and environmental factors playing a role.

Type 2 diabetes results from the body’s ineffective use of insulin. 90% of people with diabetes around the world have type 2 of diabetes. The major cause of type 2 diabetes is excess body weight and physical inactivity.

One of the most unfortunate norms among many Kenyans is not going for medical check-ups. Most of us only visit the hospital when seriously ill and when over-the-counter drugs we’re used to buying are no longer working. For most Non-Communicable Diseases, by the time you’re experiencing any symptoms, the disease has already progressed. People, it really is high time we all stopped self-medicating. 

If you or somebody you know has been complaining of excessive thirst (polydipsia), excessive excretion of urine (polyuria), constant hunger, sudden unexplained weight loss, vision changes and fatigue; it’s high time you advise them to visit a healthcare provider for checkup. Symptoms of diabetes more often go unattended to because we assume they’re consequences of normal day-to-day stress.

As I’ve said before, I don’t fancy long articles, for that reason, I’ll stop there for now. Let’s discuss more about diabetes on the next article. Make an appointment for you and your entire family, to visit a healthcare provider and have your blood sugar checked and if possible, a general health examination. Remember diabetes and other Non-Communicable Diseases are now affecting very young children, so take all prevention measures possible.

Choose excellent health today. My health, my responsibility!