• The county so far has recorded 64 cases. Most of them have recovered.
• Mariam says there is too much stigma associated with the coronavirus.
A Kilifi county health worker serving COVID 19 patients has revealed a painful experience of being stigmatised for handling victims of the deadly pandemic since it was reported in the country.
From refusing to meet family members to having to accept the stigmatisation that comes with handling Covid-19 patients, Kilifi frontline health workers speak out about the sacrifices entailed in the fight against the coronavirus.
Mariam Juma Mambo on Monday told the Star she's had to cancel a visit by her grandchildren and refuse to meet relatives so she does not expose them to the virus.
Mariam is the nurse in charge of the department tasked with the fight against the coronavirus in Kilifi county.
Kilifi was among the first counties to record Covid-19 cases alongside Mombasa, Nairobi and Kwale and was subsequently put into partial lockdown to curb the spread of the virus.
The county so far has recorded 64 cases. Most of them have recovered.
It is from handling these cases that Mariam says her interactions have changed. She says health workers are making huge sacrifices, some that are costing them both at the workplace and the society in general.
Mariam says she has handled eight patients including a four-month-old baby. She says Covid-19 has created fear among residents, including hospital workers.
"Covid-19 has no cure. We normally get phone calls from the response team whenever they are bringing patients and the fear is palpable," Mariam says.
She said they have to get the history of the patients whether their case is severe or mild and prepare them for treatment depending on the condition.
But nursing job is so tiring that on many occasions, there are burnouts. Psychologists have to come in and provide counselling.
"The psychologists normally conduct counselling for both the health workers and the patients," she said.
Mariam says they have had cases of Covid-19 patients who are in denial and have to be counselled. Staff, including the health workers and casuals who clean the areas all have to be counselled before entering the isolation centre.
She said protection is key in the isolation centre and thanked the county government for providing the personal protective equipment.
The mother of two said it was not easy for her children to accept that she would be handling Covid-19 patients because of what they see daily in the news about the dangers of the disease.
"It reached a point of cancelling a visit by my grandchildren because I work in the isolation centre and they are young. I had to tell them to wait until I leave the isolation centre for them to visit me," Mariam said.
She said she cancelled the visit because she did not want to expose the family members to the virus. She said one of the health workers in Kilifi was among the first patients to contract the disease.
"We always strive to ensure we use the protective gear, including sanitiser, wearing masks, washing hands, wearing PPEs and everything else required to prevent contamination," she said.
Mariam says there is too much stigma associated with the coronavirus. She says even fellow health workers do not want to interact with colleagues handling patients in the isolation centres.
"Covid-19 is real and the patients are ours. We have to serve them," she told the Star.
She says if health protocols are observed, the infections will go down.
Kilifi Health executive Charles Dadu said the county has had two waves of infections with six cases recorded in the first wave. They all recovered.
The remaining 53 cases have been recorded during the second wave.
The county has managed to test 2,687 people.
"We have a county multi-agency team where we meet every fortnight. The team is co-chaired by Governor Amason Kingi and the county commissioner," Dadu said.
At the subcounty levels, Dadu said there are rapid response teams that undertake inspections, contact tracing and testing.
Most cases in Kilifi have been asymptomatic with no death recorded yet.
Edited by P.O