{"id":12796,"date":"2023-01-06T16:11:18","date_gmt":"2023-01-06T15:11:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/?p=12796"},"modified":"2023-01-06T16:11:21","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T15:11:21","slug":"is-there-a-sickness-common-with-aa-genotype-during-harmattan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/is-there-a-sickness-common-with-aa-genotype-during-harmattan\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Is there a sickness common with AA genotype during harmattan?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Claim<\/strong>: People with the AA genotype are prone to sickness during harmattan.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Verdict: FALSE<\/strong>. No scientific evidence supports the claim of an \u201cAA sickness\u201d during harmattan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full Text<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you are an avid social media user in Nigeria, you may have seen a few posts about people with the AA genotype falling ill during harmattan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, let\u2019s take a quick 15 seconds biology class to explain a genotype. A genotype is an individual\u2019s collection of inherited genes from parents, which is mainly divided into four categories. They are AA, AS, SS, and AC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The narrative circulating on social media claims those with the AA genotype fall ill during the harmattan season, a season in West Africa between November and March characterised by dryness, dusty winds, and cold weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the social media posts, some symptoms exhibited by persons who came down with the purported \u201cAA sickness\u201d include fever, sore throat, catarrh, headache, and body pains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are some of the symptoms associated with COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The notion has been widely shared on social media, with many confidently attributing their sicknesses during the season to their AA genotype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oke Umurhohwo, a Twitter user, said, \u201cThere is a flu-like sickness spreading currently. Symptoms include Headache, Catarrh, Cold and slight Fever. We really need to be careful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFunny thing is that it affects mostly AA people. Malaria drugs can cure it, so I am sure it\u2019s not COVID.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Screenshot of the Twitter post by @OkeStalyf.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another Twitter user said, \u201cOmo, I used to think being AA was a good thing\u2026 Which one come be sickness subscription like this🤮🤒🥶.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDear AA, how is Cold and Malaria treating you?\u201d another user asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Screenshot of similar posts by different Twitter users on the claim.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some Facebook users also spoke about the supposed AA sickness. Bamidele Azeez wrote on a Facebook page about his experience with the \u201cAA sickness\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAA genotype is Overrated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight now, I\u2019m suffering from cold, catarrh, fever, malaria and other orishi rishi symptoms since harmattan started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey made us understand that we have the strongest blood, so strong that it can combat any form of sickness. But it seems we\u2019ve been scammed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Azeez\u2019s post has generated over 155 reactions and 43 comments. Some of the commenters agreed with his claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Facebook user wrote, \u201cThis sudden sickness affects only people with AA.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The post garnered over 60 reactions and 29 comments, with users claiming they contracted the \u201csickness\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verification<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Studies have shown that those with the AA genotype are more susceptible to malaria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One study involving 372 children at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital found that \u201cchildren with genotype AA (92.3%) were more susceptible to malaria parasite than AS (5.1%) and SS (2.6%).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study said the association of haemoglobin genotype with malaria was highly significant but is there an AA sickness that comes with the harmattan?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bankole Olusegun, a family medicine practitioner, told TheCable that there is nothing like an AA sickness during the season. He described the viral claim on social media as \u201cmisconception and misinformation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe S gene is an evolutionary process that prevents people from contracting malaria. They do, but not all the time. People with the AA genotype are more prone to malaria than those with AS. But the fact that AA people are more prone to malaria does not mean there\u2019s an AA sickness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only people with the AA genotype that have fallen sick. I have people with the AS genotype that have come down with cold, catarrh, and cough. It\u2019s the dry season and cold season. There are a lot of flu viruses around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe also have the COVID-19 pandemic. Very few people go for a COVID test. It may be the COVID-19 manifesting, and it may just be the regular flu we see around the harmattan period.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An epidemiologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Bayo Onajole, said what is most common are symptoms associated with the dryness that occurs in the harmattan season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that there is no linkage between the flu-like symptoms experienced during the harmattan season and the genotype.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m unaware of any research about the AA genotype being more predisposed to illness. The only research that has been done is that of malaria because the AA genotype is more predisposed to malaria,\u201d Onajole said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese symptoms are non-specific. Unless you conduct a COVID-19 test, you can\u2019t actually say that they\u2019re just common flu. It may be a result of COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut because most of these symptoms are mild, many people will not bother to do a COVID-19 test.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He advised Nigerians to maintain the hygienic procedure of washing hands and using face masks, saying those who come down with the \u201cAA sickness\u201d symptoms should seek medical help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No scientific evidence supports the claim of an \u201cAA sickness\u201d during harmattan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This report was written by TheCable and republished by DUBAWA as part of the Nigerian Fact-checkers\u2019 Coalition initiative. See the original piece here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Claim: People with the AA genotype are prone to sickness during harmattan. Verdict: FALSE. No scientific evidence supports the claim of an \u201cAA sickness\u201d during harmattan. Full Text If you are an avid social media user in Nigeria, you may have seen a few posts about people with the AA genotype falling ill during harmattan. First, let\u2019s take a quick 15 seconds biology class to explain a genotype. A genotype is an individual\u2019s collection of inherited genes from parents, which is mainly divided into four categories. They are AA, AS, SS, and AC. The narrative circulating on social media claims those with the AA genotype fall ill during the harmattan season, a season in West Africa between November and March characterised by dryness, dusty winds, and cold weather. According to the social media posts, some symptoms exhibited by persons who came down with the purported \u201cAA sickness\u201d include fever, sore throat, catarrh, headache, and body pains. These are some of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. The notion has been widely shared on social media, with many confidently attributing their sicknesses during the season to their AA genotype. Oke Umurhohwo, a Twitter user, said, \u201cThere is a flu-like sickness spreading currently. Symptoms include Headache, Catarrh, Cold and slight Fever. We really need to be careful. \u201cFunny thing is that it affects mostly AA people. Malaria drugs can cure it, so I am sure it\u2019s not COVID.\u201d Another Twitter user said, \u201cOmo, I used to think being AA was a good thing\u2026 Which one come be sickness subscription like this🤮🤒🥶.\u201d \u201cDear AA, how is Cold and Malaria treating you?\u201d another user asked. Some Facebook users also spoke about the supposed AA sickness. Bamidele Azeez wrote on a Facebook page about his experience with the \u201cAA sickness\u201d. \u201cAA genotype is Overrated,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, I\u2019m suffering from cold, catarrh, fever, malaria and other orishi rishi symptoms since harmattan started. \u201cThey made us understand that we have the strongest blood, so strong that it can combat any form of sickness. But it seems we\u2019ve been scammed.\u201d Azeez\u2019s post has generated over 155 reactions and 43 comments. Some of the commenters agreed with his claim. Another Facebook user wrote, \u201cThis sudden sickness affects only people with AA.\u201d The post garnered over 60 reactions and 29 comments, with users claiming they contracted the \u201csickness\u201d. Verification Studies have shown that those with the AA genotype are more susceptible to malaria. One study involving 372 children at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital found that \u201cchildren with genotype AA (92.3%) were more susceptible to malaria parasite than AS (5.1%) and SS (2.6%).\u201d The study said the association of haemoglobin genotype with malaria was highly significant but is there an AA sickness that comes with the harmattan? Bankole Olusegun, a family medicine practitioner, told TheCable that there is nothing like an AA sickness during the season. He described the viral claim on social media as \u201cmisconception and misinformation\u201d. \u201cThe S gene is an evolutionary process that prevents people from contracting malaria. They do, but not all the time. People with the AA genotype are more prone to malaria than those with AS. But the fact that AA people are more prone to malaria does not mean there\u2019s an AA sickness,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not only people with the AA genotype that have fallen sick. I have people with the AS genotype that have come down with cold, catarrh, and cough. It\u2019s the dry season and cold season. There are a lot of flu viruses around. \u201cWe also have the COVID-19 pandemic. Very few people go for a COVID test. It may be the COVID-19 manifesting, and it may just be the regular flu we see around the harmattan period.\u201d An epidemiologist at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Bayo Onajole, said what is most common are symptoms associated with the dryness that occurs in the harmattan season. He explained that there is no linkage between the flu-like symptoms experienced during the harmattan season and the genotype.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m unaware of any research about the AA genotype being more predisposed to illness. The only research that has been done is that of malaria because the AA genotype is more predisposed to malaria,\u201d Onajole said. \u201cThese symptoms are non-specific. Unless you conduct a COVID-19 test, you can\u2019t actually say that they\u2019re just common flu. It may be a result of COVID-19. \u201cBut because most of these symptoms are mild, many people will not bother to do a COVID-19 test.\u201d He advised Nigerians to maintain the hygienic procedure of washing hands and using face masks, saying those who come down with the \u201cAA sickness\u201d symptoms should seek medical help. Conclusion No scientific evidence supports the claim of an \u201cAA sickness\u201d during harmattan. This report was written by TheCable and republished by DUBAWA as part of the Nigerian Fact-checkers\u2019 Coalition initiative. See the original piece here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12797,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"hannibal_claim_source":"","hannibal_source_label":"","hannibal_card_color":"blue","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[437,1571,121],"tags":[],"verdict":[],"ppma_author":[3744],"class_list":["post-12796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook-checks","category-fact-check","category-health"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8R6dE-3ko","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"authors":[{"term_id":3744,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"nigerian-fact-checkers-coalition","display_name":"Nigerian Fact-checkers' Coalition","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&r=g","author_category":"","user_url":"","last_name":"","first_name":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Genotype.webp?fit=1200%2C810&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12796"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12796\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12798,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12796\/revisions\/12798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12796"},{"taxonomy":"verdict","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/verdict?post=12796"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dubawa.org\/dir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=12796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}