In Nigeria’s rice belts and riverine farms, an unseen threat lingers; Buruli ulcer, locally called Ule-Okpa or Elu-ulee. This painless sore creeps silently from swelling to disabling ulcer, draining farmers of health, time, and harvests. REMMY NWEKE, in this Weekend Salvo, reports that awareness, early care, and agro-health action can break its grip.
In Nigeria’s farmlands and riverine belts, health and livelihood are inseparably linked.
Farmers wading barefoot through rice paddies, fisherfolk casting nets in swampy creeks, and children playing by slow-moving streams all share an invisible risk; a neglected tropical disease locals call Ule-Okpa or Elu-ulee.
Globally, it is known as Buruli ulcer, a debilitating infection caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans.
When farming meets infection:
Buruli ulcer thrives where water meets soil wetlands, irrigation channels, floodplains, and swampy agricultural zones.
Silent progression, loud consequences:
The disease begins as a painless swelling but often progresses to large ulcers, sometimes requiring surgery or skin grafts. For rural households, this means not just health loss but also social stigma and long-term economic instability.
Why awareness matters:
Experts say most Nigerians still do not know about Buruli ulcer, despite confirmed cases in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Oyo, and Ogun States.
Practical steps for rural and agro communities:
For rural and agro communities, protecting against Buruli ulcer begins with simple but effective habits.
Farmers are advised to wear protective footwear whenever they work in waterlogged fields to reduce exposure. Families should promptly clean and cover even the smallest cuts to prevent infection from setting in.
At the community level, leaders have a key role to play by discouraging the dangerous practice of applying substances such as kerosene, ash, or battery acid to wounds, which only worsen the condition.
Call for integrated health and agriculture policies:
Buruli ulcer is not just a medical problem; it is a rural development challenge.
Conclusion:
Buruli ulcer may be hidden, but it is not undefeatable. With community vigilance, early treatment, and agro-health collaboration, Nigerians can reduce its burden.
When farming meets infection:
Buruli ulcer thrives where water meets soil wetlands, irrigation channels, floodplains, and swampy agricultural zones.
These same areas are vital for rice cultivation, fishing, and smallholder farming. Ironically, the environments that sustain food security also create the perfect breeding grounds for this disease.
Farmers in Anambra’s Ogbaru rice belt call it acha-ere, just like those in Awba-Ofemili rice belt call it ule-opa or elu-ulee; in Ebonyi it is onyea nwa dia ala.
Farmers in Anambra’s Ogbaru rice belt call it acha-ere, just like those in Awba-Ofemili rice belt call it ule-opa or elu-ulee; in Ebonyi it is onyea nwa dia ala.
Among Yoruba rural dwellers in Ogun, it is known as olobutu or egbo adaijina. While the names differ, the threat is the same: a painless sore that spreads silently, eroding both flesh and livelihoods.
Economic burden in rural communities:
For smallholder farmers, losing weeks or months to a disabling ulcer can mean missed planting seasons, reduced harvests, and rising poverty.
For smallholder farmers, losing weeks or months to a disabling ulcer can mean missed planting seasons, reduced harvests, and rising poverty.
Families already surviving on thin margins face extra costs for treatment, transport to health centres, and sometimes permanent disability.
Women and children often the ones fetching water or working barefoot in the fields, bear the brunt of the disease.
Women and children often the ones fetching water or working barefoot in the fields, bear the brunt of the disease.
Silent progression, loud consequences:
The disease begins as a painless swelling but often progresses to large ulcers, sometimes requiring surgery or skin grafts. For rural households, this means not just health loss but also social stigma and long-term economic instability.
In communities where farming is communal, one untreated case can ripple through entire households.
Why awareness matters:
Experts say most Nigerians still do not know about Buruli ulcer, despite confirmed cases in Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Cross River, Oyo, and Ogun States.
In many villages, ulcers are misattributed to witchcraft or dismissed as stubborn wounds until it is too late. Raising awareness through schools, farmers’ cooperatives, and faith-based networks is key to early reporting.
Practical steps for rural and agro communities:
For rural and agro communities, protecting against Buruli ulcer begins with simple but effective habits.
Farmers are advised to wear protective footwear whenever they work in waterlogged fields to reduce exposure. Families should promptly clean and cover even the smallest cuts to prevent infection from setting in.
At the community level, leaders have a key role to play by discouraging the dangerous practice of applying substances such as kerosene, ash, or battery acid to wounds, which only worsen the condition.
Above all, any suspicious sore or ulcer must be referred early to the nearest primary health centre, as timely medical care makes the difference between quick healing and life-changing disability.
Call for integrated health and agriculture policies:
Buruli ulcer is not just a medical problem; it is a rural development challenge.
Tackling it requires integrating public health education into agricultural extension services. If rice farmers and fisherfolk are trained to recognise Ule-Okpa as easily as they identify pests, lives and livelihoods can be saved.
Conclusion:
Buruli ulcer may be hidden, but it is not undefeatable. With community vigilance, early treatment, and agro-health collaboration, Nigerians can reduce its burden.
Ule-Okpa must no longer remain the silent thief of both health and harvests.
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