In the aftermath of delivering two healthy sons, Mary Amoah Kuffour never imagined that her lone daughter could be facing a medical issue.
Nana Yaa began displaying peculiar behaviors at the tender age of three. She scarcely communicated and would repetitively flap her hands in an unusual manner when distressed.
Each passing year, Mary tirelessly sought explanations for her daughter’s conduct. When Nana Yaa reached the age of six, physicians finally revealed the truth to her mother: Nana Yaa was diagnosed with autism.
Autism is a medical disorder that impacts brain development and cognitive functions. It exists on a spectrum ranging from mild to severe and affects approximately one out of every hundred children, according to the World Health Organization.
The condition’s cause remains unknown, yet regrettably, in Ghana, as in numerous regions globally, individuals with autism are often stigmatized as “spiritual children” or victims of witchcraft.
“It comes as a shock, especially when you ask if there’s something you could do. Do they have any medications? Because you don’t see any visible signs on the child to say that he or she has any form of disability and so for this to be termed as a disability it’s shocking,” says Mary. “When you ask and they tell you there’s no cure, nobody wants to hear that.”
Breaking that stigma is something that Afi Antonio, the founder of the Afi Antonio Foundation, which helps kids with autism, is really trying hard to do.
One in ten children suffer from a neurological illness, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet few people are aware of it in various places of the world, including Ghana.
“When I started, some people were like, ‘Afi, you are yet to have children so be careful associating with these children so you don’t have a child like that,’” recalls Antonio.
“Which is really sad that people will even think that way because autism is not contagious. A lot also say that they are cursed children. As at now, we still have people who kill their children when they are born with these conditions.”
The majority of individuals, akin to Nana Yaa, who receive timely assistance in their development, progress to lead rich and contented lives. In fact, certain characteristics of ASD have been linked to exceptional intelligence.
Several of history’s most exceptional intellects have autism, and numerous specialists posit that renowned figures such as Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton exhibited ASD traits.
“Many of them will do well, it depends on what you do for them especially early on in life. If they get the therapy early, get all the support early, they are able to do generally well and become productive adults,” says Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, a childcare specialist at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.While the exact origin of autism remains unclear, scientists in the United States and Sweden have established a correlation between prenatal exposure to air pollution and a heightened likelihood of the disorder in infants.
Harmful pollutants in the atmosphere, known as fine particulate matter, infiltrate the bloodstream of expectant mothers and can impact the brain development of the fetus during critical phases.
“During the first trimester, certain environmental exposures affect various parts of the baby’s formation,” says Dr. Promise Sefogah, an Obstetrician-Gynecologist at the Shape Healthcare Medical Center.
“When the woman gets exposed to pollutants in the air, they tend to affect the brain-related development or the nervous system development of the baby and that can lead to a lot of brain-related abnormalities in the baby.”
In addition to influencing cognitive capacities, children diagnosed with autism may exhibit heightened susceptibility to air pollution, resulting in allergic reactions and sensory issues.
Medical professionals assert that air pollution, particularly stemming from practices like open incineration and vehicle discharges, also places children at jeopardy of encountering additional severe cognitive and neurological developmental issues.
Despite the Ghanaian government’s efforts to address air pollution and enhance air quality, the issue is deteriorating. Accra, Africa’s fastest-growing city, is experiencing a population boom, which has led to increased open burning, vehicle emissions, and factory discharges—the main contributors to poor air quality. In areas like Agbogbloshie, one of Ghana’s largest informal settlements, pollution from open-air burning is rampant.
The incineration of waste at the nearby landfill, coupled with scrap scavengers burning electronic waste using tires, forces residents and traders to continually breathe polluted air, resulting in widespread illness.
The incineration of waste at the landfill site near the market, along with the use of tires by scrap scavengers to burn electronic waste, causes residents and traders to constantly breathe polluted air, leading to illness.
“My children complain about the smoke in this area. They are not happy,” says Fati Fuseini, a trader at Agbogbloshie market with three young children. “They are not able to stay and sleep over when they come here, they leave for their fathers.”
government has initiated plans to launch public awareness campaigns in Agbogbloshie, establish a drop-off point for discarding electronic waste, and encourage the separation of plastics to enhance recycling efforts as part of their strategy to address the issue.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other stakeholders are also monitoring air quality in highly polluted areas, including Agbogbloshie, to inform Ghanaians about hazardous pollution levels daily. They are revising air quality management regulations and developing a plan to address pollution from road transport, particularly from minibuses, known as trotros, in Accra.
While the government takes these measures, health experts advise that highly polluted areas should be avoided by pregnant women. If they must enter these areas, they should wear nose masks to protect themselves and their babies from the dangers of air pollution.
