THE DISEASE PATTERN IN AN ‘UNREACHED’ MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
*Department of Anatomy, University of Jos
**Department of Medical Microbiology, University of
***C/O Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
Polokwane Mankweng Hospital Complex, Pietersburg,
Keywords: Unreached people group, Tagir Zangam,
This project was carried out under a Medical mission by
This work was conducted on a mountain village called
Tagir-Zangam, also known as Mazan Dutse. This is a
settlement of the Anaguta tribe about 30minutes by foot
up the mountains across the back entrance gate of the
University of Jos Senior Staff quarters, at Bauchi ring
road Jos. The total population of that village was 83
people: 13 men, 33 women, 19 boys and 18 girls.
The people were informed about a month prior to the
visit about the coming of a team of doctors and health
workers and that treatment was free.
Our findings show that, although the Tagir-Zangam
people are cut off from modern amenities such as light
and pipe-borne water, they are fairly healthy. This could
be attributed to their adaptation over the years to their
lack and their frequent visits to town.
Their common health problems in the order of prevalence
are malaria, followed by URTI, helminthiasis, dyspepsia
and waist pain. The incidence of worm infestation is not
conclusive since there was no confirmation by stool
microscopy. This needs further proof. It was observed
that over the years a greater part of the young proportion
of the community have moved to town in order to
enhance their lives particularly in secular education. This
has left behind some elderly grandparents who are more
We therefore concluded that the Tagir-Zangam people by
virtue of the above have tried to solve their socio-
economic problems by mass movement and frequent
visits to town thereby reducing their hardship to a
In the developing world (Nigeria as an example) the
needs of people are basic and encompass all the
necessities for human survival. Although it is the
responsibility of the Nigeria government to meet the
basic needs of its people, there is no doubt nevertheless
that these needs remain basic and unmet to a large extent
four decades after its independence.
One can ascertain that in order to bring all people to the
same poverty levels in Nigeria, help must come from
elsewhere. This is more so since the global cost of living
has gone up and the third world countries have been left
behind and needs are basic such as food, water, roads,
Indigenous individuals, private sectors and communities
on the other hand are overwhelmed with the level of
poverty and ignorance in the society including their own
family members. This poses a limitation on how much
Money and its management are the key essentials in
success and real advancement in research and so, society.
Unfortunately however, money is not ever enough to
meet all the needs of any society, small or large but lack
of money on the other hand is a hindrance to the actual
existence of mankind. Manpower shortage in key aspects
further hinder development in our society; building
facilities and acquiring resources upon inadequate
manpower for its usage and maintenance will not help
advancement in science and/or society 1.
The lack of the facilities for secular education in a larger
population of the country renders them ignorant of basic
issues, increases their economic dependence, and
promotes ignorance, poverty and poor hygiene.
A large proportion of our nation cannot be reached for
lack of access roads and have no hope of rescue in the
near future! They do not even need to be mentioned as
regards improving technological advancement and/or
science as is the trend outside our world. The unreached
people groups have no access to any form of secular
education or basic primary health care. They have no
access to any form of medical care and so are at the
mercy of herbalists whose claims we know are largely
baseless, being unproven. Their fate would be worse but
for the care of Christian churches. What is therefore the
fate of these people as regards the fight against imminent
issues and diseases particularly HIV/AIDS?
These are people groups whose settlement extends from
Plateau state eastward to the boarders of the Cameroon.
They are found in Benue, Nassarawa, Taraba, Bauchi,
Gombe Adamawa, Kaduna states and the Federal capital
territory of Nigeria. There are altogether 32 people
groups in the Plateau cluster of the unreached people
This work was conducted on a mountain village called
Tagir-Zangam, also known as Mazan Dutse. It is about
30minutes by foot up the mountains opposite the back
entrance gate of the University of Jos Senior Staff
The village is a settlement of the Anaguta tribe of Plateau
State. It has a population size of 83 people with the
following breakdown: 13 men, 33 women, 19 boys and
18 girls. Among the data for women, 8 are very old grand
The age and sex distribution of the village is as below:
Rural practice is almost absent in Nigeria for two
reasons; there are not enough Medical Doctors to meet
the needs of the sick so that rural and semi-urban
communities usually have no Doctors in the clinics and
Practitioners are unwilling to practice in the villages for
lack of basic amenities, particularly electricity, pipe-
The following information is from work carried out by
the International Mission Board (IMB), a Southern
Baptist Missionary group in Nigeria. It is an American
What is the fate of these people, what do they believe in
and what is their attitude towards modern issues like
contraception and immunization of children for example?
These are some of the questions we need to answer
especially that that even more exposed communities in
Nigeria are yet to settle; Efik men of Nigeria do not
believe in family planning for women and children are
necessities for maximum productivity.4 Each of these
people have their own culture and culture affects all
In the light of the above situation, healthcare workers
should be particularly concerned about the rapid spread
of diseases and particularly, HIV/AIDS among these
people. Although they are cut off from modern
civilization, they come in contact with nearby towns on
market days. Moreover, these tribes are largely unaware
of the health issues in the towns around them and the
nation as a whole. Worse still is the difficulty posed by
the rather huge claims of local herbal practitioners
concerning cure for diseases. This problem is an urgent
one because Alternate Practitioners have a great
influence over the Nigerian people in the management of
diseases. Awareness is a necessary preventive measure.
The lack of modernization among not a small proportion
of Nigeria who is also unreachable as a result of their
geographical location is an urgent issue and a hindrance
to national development. Education creates the right
mindset for programmes relevant to the societal
development including policy making in government.
Never the less, most of these tribes lack basic educational
training. Human resources in these places are therefore
not tapped; the nation being the loser at this.
The research group was a team of 2 doctors, a Medical
Microbiologist, 2 Medical and 2 pharmacy students.
There was routine consultation of all patients who
presented at the camp clinic site which was within the
Baptist church building in the village. All treatment was
free. Total number of 57 patients came for consultation,
39 females and 18 males out of which only 1 female was
from outside that village. Out of the 57 seen, 23 came
because treatment was free and had no specific
complaint. These 23 were however given anti-
helminthics and multivitamins. Note that some of the
remaining 34 patients presented with more than one
S/No Diagnosis Male Female Total Helminthiasis Dyspepsia Ear wax Ot externa pp malaria T coporis waist pain leg pain others
From the above findings, it is obvious that more
females than males presented for consultation. This is
probably due to urban migration; there are more women
in the village. Also, the men from Tagir-Zangam go out
to seek jobs in the near by town of Jos, serving as day-
pay Labourers, Masons and private Gardeners.
From the results, One could also say that despite
the fact that these people are cut off from modern
amenities such as light and pipe-born water, they are
fairly healthy. This conclusion is based on the reason
that, the economic status of individuals determine their
welfare and that of parents therefore affect the nutrition
of the entire family, particularly children5, 6. In a study,
African America children weighed slightly less than their
white peers between age 6-12years6, 7.
We however attribute this “healthiness” to their
adaptation over the years to their lack and to their
frequent visits to town. Furthermore, over the years a
greater part of this community moved to town so as to
enhance their lives particularly in circular education. The
younger half of the settlement earn their day to day living
as masons and houseboys/girls in the nearest part of Jos
town and particularly, the Bauchi road University senior
staff quarters. The Tagir-Zangam people by virtue of the
above have tried to solve their socio-economic problems
and so reduced their hardship to a bearable level.
From the above result, malaria tops the list of the
problems of this people, followed by URTI,
helminthiasis, dyspepsia and waist pain. There is no
doubt that their problem with malaria is part of the
nation’s one. Malaria may also be responsible for the
incidence of dyspepsia. Their eating pattern which is
scanty may contribute to this. The rather high incidence
of worm infestation is not conclusive since there was no
confirmation by stool microscopy. This needs further
proof. It is a good idea nevertheless that all that came for
consultation had a course of Vermox. Waist pain maybe
due to their hard work at the farm and breaking of
firewood for use and for sale. This is compounded by the
In conclusion, what these people need is someone who
will help them attain social and economic independence
by the creation of access roads and small-scale enterprise,
artisanship, co-operative business ventures thereby
adding integrity to their lives. Along with the care being
received from Christian groups, they will become worthy
citizens of their community having a positive impact on
Secondly, there is need for basic education in order to
enhance their literacy level, develop their minds, and
increasing their understanding in the face of the
challenges of a rapidly changing world.
Government, individuals and NGOs need to assist
communities such as these with community health care
services and training on domestic hygiene, first aid, and
the current problem of HIV/AIDS. This will enhance
Finally, children of destitute parents and of people
who are underprivileged if trained in circular
education will be empowered to become more
productive in society. This will create in them a sense
of responsibility, enhance maximum manpower usage
and reduce crime. This is the key to overcoming
backwardness in any society, Nigeria inclusive.
1. Adadevoh, B. K. (1983); Medical Research in
Nigeria- A tribute with historical and perspective
2. Atherton C, Stonecypher B, Clermont M; Thirty-
one day prayer guide for the unreached people
groups and the International Mission Board (IMB)
3. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); socio-
cultural issues affecting attitude and behaviour
regarding population and family life issues in
4. Hamil, P.V.V, Drizd, T.A, Johnson, C.L, Reed,
NCHS, Growth charts, 1976, Monthly Vital Statistics
Report (Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept of Health,
6. Height and Weight of Children: Socioeconomic
Status United States (Washington D.C: U.S. Dept of
Health, Education and Welfare, public health service,
7. Bodyweight, Stature, and Sitting height: White and
States (Washington, D.C: U.S. Dept of health,
Education and Welfare public health service, 1973).
We wish to thank Joseph Auta for his cooperation in
this work. We also wish to thank Mr Philip Nongo
and Ms Roseline Peters who despite their busy lecture
Schedules were willing to join us on the project.
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