I've been in hospital this week with a strong case of malaria. Sure, it's been naff. But, deep down, it's done nothing more than affirm that uncomfortable fact that I am one of the luckiest people in the world. Literally. And chances are, if you're reading this, then you're with me amongst those privilleged few.
Uganda has the third highest death rate from malaria in Africa. Yet only 16% of households own one or more insecticide treated mosquito nets and only 10% of children under the age of 5 sleep under one. No wonder, then, that children born in Uganda are born with a 14% chance that they will never see their 5th Birthday. Malaria is the biggest killer of children under 5 in Uganda. Yet it is a largely preventable and curable disease. So what's going wrong?
Kasambya experienced a malaria epidemic at the beginning of 2010. That month was the single most testing period I have experienced in Uganda. People were coming to the office looking tired and dejected. When asked what was wrong they would typically respond "today we have buried 9 people in my village. 6 of them were children." Kasambya, which encompasses a town and over 29 outlying villages has one doctor. It has a handful of small, private clinics run by nurses, medical officers and, in some cases, wholly unqualified personnel.
An extremely high percentage of the adult population in Kasambya has never attended school. Kasambya is not in a high priority area for Aid Agencies - it is not a war zone, it is not prone to natural disaster, does not suffer food or water shortages to any noteworthy extent - it's an average, Ugandan town. What a dangerous thing to be. The population is at the mercy of inadequate, incomplete and inaccurate information on malaria prevention and treatment. Myths are rife - people who do not believe that there are any mosquitos in Kasambya; people who believe that malaria comes from uncooked pork... And the most common reason i'm given for not sleeping under a mosquito net - that they cause suffocation.
When fever occurs in an adult or child in Kasambya, it is almost always assumed (by the patient and medical personnel alike) that the person has malaria. Often, no blood test is carried out and, even more frequently, patients do not even visit a clinic (either through lack of finances, lack of trust in the medical profession, or a belief that it is not necessary). Of these, some people buy their own medications direct from pharmacies (with neither party knowing the correct diagnosis) while others will simply wait for the fever to pass. Malaria medications are misused - people build up resistence and they become ineffective. Other fatal illnesses which cause fever and headache (such as meningitis) are being overlooked. Children are left to die because parents have no access to clinics, no trust in clinics or are too pressed for time to prioritise one child's health over the wellbeing of the family as a whole.
KISS is the only NGO working permanently in Kasambya for the benefit of vulnerable children. The task ahead seems enormous. But with your support, we can make a difference. KISS works to enable education - this means that we try to ensure that whatever barrier it is that may be preventing a child from learning (whether it be financal, medical or social) is broken down and that the child is then supported to reach their full potential. Malaria is just one of very many barriers which stand in the way of children in Kasambya - but it is by far one of the most unnecessary.
So yeah... that pretty much sums up my stay in hospital this week. With all my doctors and all my medicines and all my food and all my drink. Lucky. And determined that one day, no matter how far in future that day might be, I won't need to feel uncomfortable about that any more.
*statistics from Malaria Consortium and UNICEF
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