Overcoming COVID myths and fears in Malawi

Health 19:14 02.05.2021
Healthcare workers in Malawi are concerned that misinformation about COVID-19 is preventing patients in dire need of medical attention not related to the virus, from seeking what could be live-saving treatment.
 
When Eunice Marorongwe, a senior nurse at a rural hospital in Malawi, received a child patient with a serious leg infection, she was shocked at how her parents could keep her at home for a month, without getting treatment to save her life.
 
“It was at lunchtime at the end of last year when the 14-year-old girl came to the clinic with her right leg in a very bad state”, she says.
 
The leg could not stretch and, from the foot to the knee, it was very bad. It had turned into a green colour and was producing a very bad smell.
 
A tree branch pierced through the girl’s right leg, but her parents stayed put at home; not because they saw no need to rush to the hospital for treatment but because of fears and myths surrounding COVID-19.
 
Festering wound
 
“By the time they brought her to the hospital, the leg could not stretch and, from the foot to the knee, it was very bad. It had turned into a green colour and was producing a very bad smell”, says Ms. Marorongwe, who works at Mangochi District Hospital, about 250 kilometres southeast of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
 
The girl was admitted after her parents were convinced the hospital could safely treat her.
 
“I am happy that we helped her, but I am worried that more people don’t come to the hospital for treatment. The situation worsened with COVID-19 as some are scared of being tested for COVID-19, while others are misinformed that they would get COVID-19 and die at the hospital”, says the nurse.
Azerbaijan Air Force and Navy Forces held joint tactical exercise in Caspian Sea - VİDEO

News line

Iran and Israel playing with fire as old rules of confrontation are torn up - ANALYSIS
20:50 19.04.2024
'Ukraine is blackmailing the West for this' - Expert reveals the secret details
19:50 19.04.2024
French police arrest attempted suicide bomber
French police arrest attempted suicide bomber
19:30 19.04.2024
'We are witnessing historical events' - Umud Mirzayev on the occasion of the return of Gazakh villages
19:09 19.04.2024
Expert: Israeli Response to Iran Expected to Be Limited, Considers Targeting Neighbor
18:45 19.04.2024
Border delimitation between Azerbaijan and Armenia to be based on Almaty Declaration
18:25 19.04.2024
Defamation against Azerbaijan in the International Court of Justice
18:12 19.04.2024
CIA: Ukraine will lose war without new aid this year
17:58 19.04.2024
Another baseless allegation from a law professor speaking on behalf of Armenia
17:40 19.04.2024
Azerbaijan and Armenia agree on returning of Gazakh's 4 villages
17:21 19.04.2024
President of Azerbaijan and Chancellor of Germany to meet in Berlin
17:00 19.04.2024
Russia won’t allow NATO to move closer in Ukraine — Lavrov
Russia won’t allow NATO to move closer in Ukraine — Lavrov
16:48 19.04.2024
Baku French Lyceum ceases its activity
16:35 19.04.2024
Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin to meet in Moscow
16:27 19.04.2024
G7 Foreign Ministers call Azerbaijan and Armenia to be committed to peace process
16:16 19.04.2024
Mikayil Jabbarov: ‘Ughuryolu career program leads to identifying personnel with higher potential’
Mikayil Jabbarov: ‘Ughuryolu career program leads to identifying personnel with higher potential’
16:01 19.04.2024
US calls on Israel to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza
15:40 19.04.2024
Jeyhun Bayramov discusses situation in Gaza with Prime Minister of Palestine
15:30 19.04.2024
Public hearings on preliminary objections raised by Azerbaijan in International Court of Justice conclude
15:00 19.04.2024
Azerbaijan to create artificial land plots in Caspian Sea for construction
14:02 19.04.2024
Azerbaijan weather forecast for April 20
Azerbaijan weather forecast for April 20
13:21 19.04.2024
Fathers will have right to receive a pension under favorable conditions for their children in Azerbaijan
13:00 19.04.2024
Azerbaijan Air Force and Navy Forces held joint tactical exercise in Caspian Sea - VİDEO
Azerbaijan Air Force and Navy Forces held joint tactical exercise in Caspian Sea - VİDEO
12:40 19.04.2024
No plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, senior Iranian official says - VİDEO/UPDATED
12:25 19.04.2024
Oil prices surge following Israeli airstrike on Iran
12:12 19.04.2024
Final Day of Hearings in 'Armenia vs. Azerbaijan' Case at the Hague Court - LIVE
12:02 19.04.2024
Australia tells citizens to leave Israel
Australia tells citizens to leave Israel
11:50 19.04.2024
'Regrettably, the United States exhibits a biased position regarding peacekeepers' - MP Konul Nurullayeva
11:34 19.04.2024
The US does not want the Zangezur corridor to be opened under these conditions - OPINION
11:20 19.04.2024
Armenian general: Russia is the cause of all troubles
11:02 19.04.2024
Man arrested in Poland over suspected Russian plot to assassinate Zelensky
10:50 19.04.2024
Price of Azerbaijan oil drops
Price of Azerbaijan oil drops
10:35 19.04.2024
Azerbaijani police found numerous weapons and ammunition in Khankandi
10:23 19.04.2024
Chad threatens to kick out US troops
10:00 19.04.2024
Terrorists kill 16 soldiers in Syria
Terrorists kill 16 soldiers in Syria
09:49 19.04.2024
Biden calls China ‘xenophobic’
09:30 19.04.2024
Maduro: Despite US sanctions, Venesuela’s oil industry will develop
09:17 19.04.2024
Kenyan military helicopter crashes, five soldiers killed, police say
Kenyan military helicopter crashes, five soldiers killed, police say
23:45 18.04.2024
Greek PM Mitsotakis to meet Erdogan on May 13 in Ankara
22:55 18.04.2024
Guterres: ‘The Middle East is on a knife-edge’
Guterres: ‘The Middle East is on a knife-edge’
22:33 18.04.2024
Hamısı