Mabity, mother
ABOUT MABITY
Mabity, mother of three, usually self-medicates when she falls sick with malaria but when she contracted the disease at 32 weeks pregnant with her third child, she feared for both her and her baby’s life. Her joints were weak, she had a fever, and she lost all appetite.
When Mabity first arrived at the hospital, it was thought she was going into early labour and she was put under observation for two days.
Mabity was tested for malaria and typhoid but initially the tests came back negative.
Fearing for her unborn baby, she told the doctor she still felt feverish, with a bitter taste in her mouth. Another blood test was done which this time detected the malaria parasite. So, the doctor prescribed her tablets and Mabity spent a week recovering in hospital.
With young children (under 5) and pregnant women most at risk of dying from this preventable and treatable disease, Mabity knows things could have turned out very differently for her and her child had she not received the right treatment at the hospital. Many people don’t have the money to come to the hospital, and they can’t afford the tests or the treatment.
"THE RESULTS CAME BACK NEGATIVE BUT I WAS STILL FEVERISH. THE DOCTOR SAID LET’S IGNORE THE RESULTS. SO, SHE INTERVENED FOR ME. THEY RAN ANOTHER TEST AND FOUND IT WAS MALARIA. THEY SAID MAYBE THE PARASITES WERE HIDING."
MABITY
Thanks to CUAMM, a project supported by the Comic Relief and GSK Partnership, Mabity was able to receive free healthcare as she was pregnant. The project also focuses on sharing information about malaria among communities; training young people to carry out innovative research and to facilitate malaria awareness community-based events. With a particular focus on mothers and pregnant teenagers, the work aims to change attitudes towards the disease, educating people of the value of seeking timely help and proper treatment in order to reduce the impact of malaria and save lives.