But should Ogbanje be entirely blamed? Not to exonerate this Spiritual force of the many accusations levelled against it, but Rhesus disease has been incriminated in countless cases of haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn often wrongly attributed to witchcraft and ogbanje.
What are Rhesus factors and Rhesus Disease?
Rhesus factor is a protein found on the surface of red blood cells. Anyone who has it is said to be positive, and those who don’t are said to be negative. About 85% of the world population are Rh-positive. This protein is genetically inherited ( gotten from either the father or the mother).
It is a condition whereby antibodies in a pregnant woman’s body attack and destroy the foetus’ blood cells. This disease condition goes by another fancy name known as Haemolytic Disease of Foetus and Newborn (HDFN). It is worth knowing that this disease doesn’t pose a threat to the mother’s life but can cause the baby to have anaemia or Jaundice. It results from incompatible between the blood of the mother and that of her foetus. The foetus may end up dead even before delivery (miscarriage) or a few days after birth, and who bears the blame? The wicked mother-in-law, village people or the Ogbanje?
What then Causes Rhesus Disease?
Rhesus Disease can only happen when a previously sensitized rhesus negative woman carries A rhesus positive blood baby ( the baby gets the rhesus positive blood from his rhesus positive father) in her womb. Enough of medical vocabulary! What does it mean to be sensitized, by the way?
During pregnancy, labour, delivery or abortion, some of the foetus’ Rh-positive red blood cells may get into the mother’s blood. Upon exposure to the Rh-positive blood ( An intruder), the woman’s body begins to produce antibodies ( infection-fighting molecules) to wade off this intruder (Rh factor).
Even though sensitization occurred, there’s only little danger to the Rh-positive baby because it is usually born before a substantial amount of antibodies are produced.
Spoiler alert: If an Rh-negative woman who isn’t ready to give birth but still wishes to “do-the-do” gets pregnant with an Rh-positive baby, she can easily get sensitized during the abortion, and it won’t even cross her mind to take any preventive measure to prevent sensitization, after all, she isn’t ready for motherhood anytime soon.
The woman’s body will continue to produce these antibodies throughout her lifetime and during her subsequent pregnancies. Should the next pregnancy have Rh-positive blood, there’ll be a mass exodus of antibodies from the mother across the placenta to the foetus. These antibodies then start attacking the baby’s red blood cells. The result is Jaundice, anaemia, and in some cases, brain damage, heart failure and ultimately, death.
Can Rhesus Disease be Prevented?
Yes! Simply taking a blood test to know if the woman is rhesus negative is the first step. An Rh-negative woman with an Rh-positive husband will receive an injection of Rh-immunoglobulin (Rh-IG/ RhoGAM) around the 28th week of her pregnancy and another shot within 72 hours of delivering an Rh-positive baby- this prevents sensitization. It’s worth noting that this shot will not work if the woman is already Rh-Sensitized.
How is Rhesus Disease Treated?
If a woman is Rh-sensitized, she has to go for regular testing and consult doctors who specialize in high-risk pregnancies ( Perinatologist).
Finally, as we know, humans would rather grasp with both hands to make themselves the victim of a situation and blame village people rather than accepting that they are the sheer architect of this dire situation. Ogbanje or any other evil force may be responsible for some pregnancy miscarriages and baby’s death but the Rhesus factor in human is a leading prime suspect.
It is not enough to know your ABO blood group alone; know your Rhesus status as well, to prevent being Rh-sensitized and ultimately Rh disease often misconstrued as witchcraft and Ogbanje.
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