Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
The 12-year-old Satkhira girl who has been inflicted by a new mysterious ‘tree-man disease’, is likely to lose her right hand due to wrong treatment of the local physicians and shaman.
Her possible diseases are Dermal vascular malformation, Lymphatic, Neurofibromatosis and Congenital hyperkeratosis, hospital sources said.
“Mukta Moni is suffering from the rare disease concealed by her family members in fear of their neighbours. It might be hyperkeratosis or cancer related disease that is curable. But she might lose her affected right hand for the dilly-dally attitude and wrong treatment of the doctors,” said Md Tauhidur Rahman, Civil Surgeon of Satkhira district.
She has been inflicted by the disease mainly in her right hand, the condition leading to her hand swelling up like a bee-hive. But it all started a long time back for lack of awareness, Rahman said.
Meanwhile, an eight-member Board led by Dr Samanta Lal Sen, coordinator of the Burnt and Plastic Surgery Department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), could not identify the horrified disease that conducted different tests in the body in the hospital on Wednesday.
The other Board members are Burn unit’s Director Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad, Prof Dr Sazad Khandakar, Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam, Prof Dr Raihana Awal, Medicine Department’s Professor Dr Titu Mia, and Sex and Darmatology Department’s Prof Dr Rashed Mohammad Kha.
Earlier, Moni was admitted to A B Cabin No. 608 of the Burn unit under DMCH on Tuesday morning
“We suspected she has been suffering from blood deficiency and poor nutrition. But she needs to stay for eight to ten days at the hospital for more tests to identify her disease and confirm her treatment. If suspicions are proven correct, Mukta Moni will have to improve first her blood and nutrition condition as her body may not be ready to go through any extensive surgery that may be required,” said Dr Samanta Lal Sen.
“She will get treatment free of cost like Abul Bajandar, who became known as the ‘tree man,” the doctor said.
Assistant Professor of Satkhira Medical College Hospital Dr M Nasiruddin said the disease is rare. It is considered primarily as Hyperkeratosis and it may be associated with skin cancer.
According to family sources, when Moni was three years old, her parents observed a small swelling in her chest. A few days later, the marble-like protrusions appeared beneath her left armpit. Thus began a round of treatment that has continued till this very day. First, Moni’s father Ibrahim Hossain took his daughter to local doctors but no improvement was seen, according to doctors. Moni always feels unbearable pain in the affected hand which is infested with parasitic worms. They gave her homeopathy treatment too, for nearly one and a half years, but it did not work.
She was taken to different hospitals in Satkhira, Jessore and Khulna. She even went to CRP in Savar where she was referred to a specialist in Dhaka. The specialist provided her with some medicines but in three months, no changes were visible. Her family had spent almost Tk 4 lakh, they said.
Finally, around two and a half years ago, she was admitted to a hospital in Khulna where doctors said that she could not be cured and suggested her family take her home, according to them.
“As hopelessness set in, her father resorted to herbal treatment known as “Kabiraji medicine” which is cheap and generally availed by people less well-off. They also went for other non-traditional medicines but nothing seemed to work. But later on, as Moni’s story was picked up by different news media, she was brought to DMCH, said Ibrahim Hossain, father of Moni Mukta.
Ibrahim, a grocery shop owner at Kamarbaisa village in Sadar upazila, said, “His twin girls Hira Moni and Mukta Moni were alright up until they were one-and-a-half year old, but shortly after that a big marble-like growth appeared in Mukta Moni’s right hand and it continued growing larger day by day. He took his daughter to local doctors but no improvement was found.”
The weight of the affected right hand of Moni is increasing day by day. She always feels unbearable pain in the affected hand which is infested with parasitic worms, according to Ibrahim.
“I went to many hospitals for the treatment of my daughter. No proper treatment was found anywhere. Now, I am destitute,” said Ibrahim, adding that doctors told him that although the disease is rare, there are instances of the disease being treated in Bangladesh. I pray for help from the Prime Minister for taking necessary steps for his daughter’s treatment, although her condition might be slightly different to tree-man disease.”
“Moni is a good singer of gazals but I can’t tolerate such condition of my daughter,” said Ayesha Khatun, mother of the victim.
She said the villagers, and even their relatives do not visit their house as the affected hand is becoming rotten and emanating bad odour.
In tears, Moni told The New Nation on Tuesday, “The disease causes an itch and is very painful.” The pain gets more acute during summer and winter,” she added.
“I have no joy in my life. I can’t go to school or play. But I want to go again to school with my sister,” said Moni.
Fighting back emotion in her voice, Hira Moni, the twin sister, said she eagerly waits for the day she can play with Moni again.
Moni’s grandfather (paternal) Ejhar Ali Gazi said the disease started intensifying four years ago. She can now no longer walk, play games or go to school, even stand up.
Recently a 27-year-old man, Abul Bajandar, who became known as the “tree man”, underwent surgery to remove the extensive, wood-like warts that covered his hands and feet.
Bajandar, hailing from Khulna, has undergone at least 16 operations at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital free of charge to remove 5kg (11 pounds) of growths from his hands and feet since his condition came to doctors’ attention in 2016.
