The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has supported 32 Vesico Vaginal Fistula (VVF) survivors in Borno.

Dr Zainab Aliyu, the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in charge of the VVF Ward in Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, made this known on Tuesday in Maiduguri.

Aliyu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that so far, all the women that underwent the surgical operation are responding to treatment.

VVF is an abnormal opening between the bladder and the vagina that results in continuous and unremitting urinary incontinence.

The entity is one among the most distressing complications of gynecologic and obstetric procedures.

The common causes of VVF are obstructed labour, early marriage, poverty, and women’s limited control over the use of family resources.

The condition can cause  a lot of discomfort, and if left untreated, it may cause serious bacteria infection, which may result in sepsis, a dangerous condition that can lead to low blood pressure, organ damage or even death.

However, VVF can be treated through advanced laparoscopic surgery to give women living with the condition a new lease of life which will enable them to live normal lives.

The chief nursing officer said that the surgery was funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), supported by UNFPA, in collaboration with the Borno Ministry of Health.

She added that the 32 VVF survivors were surgically repaired and 12 received treatment and management, noting that as at March 22, 2021, a total of 44 women were attended to in the two weeks operation.

Aliyu noted that some of the survivors came from neighbouring states of Adamawa and Yobe, while some came from Lagos and Niger Republic.

She said that apart from those operated on, about 20 were waiting to be operated upon in the first of its kind exercise this year, adding that “UNFPA is taking care of the women’s feeding and transportation to and from their respective communities.”

Some of the survivors recuperating in the ward told NAN that they had no words that could express their joy and gratitude to UNFPA, KOICA, the Borno Ministry of Health and the specialist hospital.

They said that the surgery came as a big relief for them.

Mrs Hamsatu Mohammed, a 19-year-old survivor who came from Lagos, said she was happy with the development and look foward to going back home as a healthy and clean woman when discharged.

Mohammed said she developed VVF during delivery at home.

She explained that she was just a housewife without any business skill, saying she was willing to learn any trade if given the opportunity to improve her life.

Another survivor, Mrs Hauwa Bukar, a 21-year-old from Biu, said she developed VVF also during childbirth.

Bukar, who said she was a tailor, thanked all those involved in bringing succour to them, adding that she was looking forward to returning to her business as tailor.