Kwaheri

Kwaheri

Whilst working in the medical centre in Musanda we have been working on a number of research projects with a view to tackling some of the major issues in the area. In particular we have been collecting data on the malaria vaccine. This was introduced last year and is first given to children at 6 months. Whilst the vaccine is free, it is still relatively novel and therefore parents are sometimes reluctant for their children to have it. As well as working to understand why this is we were also hoping to discover more about the efficacy of the vaccination. We do not yet know for certain how good the vaccine is at preventing malaria and have therefore been gethering data on how often vaccinated children are in fact contracting malaria. So far the results look incredibly promising, however the study will need to run for another few months to gather enough data in order to make reliable conclusions. In the meantime, the main challenge has and will be promoting the vaccine and ensuring that families are aware of its existence and potential benefits - the vaccine may well be an important step towards preventing the hundreds of malaria cases we have seen in the last three weeks alone. 

On the evenings where we have not been faced with torrential rains, we have been running through the countryside surrounding Musanda. This has been an ideal opportunity to see the beautiful area but we won't be breaking any records whilst trying to adjust to the heat and altitude. We have become quite a spectacle amongst the locals, who either stare on in bewilderment or openly laugh at the running Mzungus! We are going to miss our entourage of small children who like to run every step we take with us. 

Unfortunately, we will be flying back to the UK much earlier than we had planned due to COVID - 19 which has finally caught up with us. The last few days we have been working with the medical centre in order to try and prepare for the pandemic which is a huge concern for small local hospitals who do not have the facilities or resources to deal with such crises. We have been providing education about hand washing and outbreak prevention in our coronavirus stations in Mumias and other local villages - there has been a huge amount of support and enthusiasm from everyone who is preparing for these future challenges. 

Yesterday afternoon we had a wonderful visit to some local waterfalls with Rita (who is 6) and Favour (who is 2) who we have grown very close with over the past three weeks. It was lovely to spend some time out in nature and sit in the shade with the girls - which would have been relaxing had we not given them fanta. After spending the afternoon bouncing off nearly everything they both crashed on the way home - Favour fell fast asleep on Jacob who wasnt far from falling asleep himself. 

This will likely be our last blog post, however we are so grateful to our Kenyan family for taking such good care of us and having us to stay in this wonderful part of the world. We will be back!
















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