Meet Mazowe’s ‘most dreaded’ nurse

25 Sep, 2022 - 00:09 0 Views
Meet Mazowe’s ‘most dreaded’ nurse

The Sunday Mail

Fatima Bulla-Musakwa

Sister Abigail Dzvova, who works at Storis Mine Clinic in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central province, is one of the persons “hated most” by children aged five years and below from nearby communities.

Toddlers from Mazowe Citrus, Mbembi, Umsasa, Namadale and Gushungo farming communities all cower at the sight of the dreaded “lady of pain”.

Unbeknown to their young minds, Sister Dzvova is a champion of maternal health and leading light of postnatal care at the clinic, which is run by a private company.

As one of its major services, the clinic offers childhood vaccination, whose demand has soared as new suburbs emerge around the health facility.

As a result, Sister Dzvova is now one of the most recognisable faces in the community, albeit one loathed by children.

Her commitment to discharging her duties, through inflicting pain for a noble cause, underlines her commitment to service.

Of late, Storis Mine Clinic has resembled the scene of a funeral wake, with the wailing children now an all-too-familiar sound.

For the children, the recent roll-out of a supplementary national measles vaccination campaign to contain an outbreak of the disease has meant more dreaded appointments with the nurse.

The campaign is targeting children aged between six months and five years.

Sister Dzvova is also administering polio and Covid-19 vaccines.

When The Sunday Mail visited the area recently, it saw some children — obviously familiar with the experience of an appointment with Sister Dzvova — breaking into uncontrollable bawling soon after they arrived at the clinic.

“Ndoda gogo vangu; ndiendese kuna gogo vangu (I need my grandmother; take me to my grandmother),” cried a child who had come for a measles vaccine.

At the clinic, three supporting healthcare workers analyse the child’s health card. The child is then weighed and data captured on both the health card and a separate clinic register.

Those seeking vaccination against childhood diseases are asked to gather in one corner of the clinic’s yard, where they are attended to in quick succession.

Sister Dzvova first clears another meandering queue of patients, who take turns to come into her room for treatment of other ailments.

Before she begins to administer the vaccines, she addresses the mothers.

“This programme is being carried out nationwide and it is an emergency because of an outbreak of measles,” she says, addressing the mothers, her voice barely audible because of the wailing.

“In our district, we already have five cases of measles. If you go to Mutare, Bulawayo or Kwekwe, children aged between six months and five years are being vaccinated.

“Even if that child was vaccinated last week or last month, they still need to be vaccinated.

“Tell your neighbours that if your child contracts this disease, it kills. You must come and have your children vaccinated. It’s free, so don’t be afraid.”

She then advises the mothers to hold their babies tightly while she administers the vaccine on the left-hand side.

Administering the vaccines takes little time, but the process is drawn out by data capturing .

As Sister Dzvova begins to administer the measles vaccine, she identifies some children who were not vaccinated against other childhood diseases.

“I have brought my two children, one aged four years and another who is almost 10 months old, after receiving messages about the campaign on my phone,” says Ms Joyce Chavhunga, who resides nearby.

“I am encouraging other women to bring their children for vaccination whenever they receive such notices, messages or letters. It’s important to have your children vaccinated.”

Outbreak

The first cases of measles were reported in Mutasa district, Manicaland province, in April.

As of September 8, there were 6 551 confirmed cases, including 4 633 recoveries and 704 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

Measles is a highly contagious virus spread through droplets when coughing or sneezing, or through direct contact with infected nasal or throat secretions.

The virus is active in the air or on infected surfaces for up to two hours.

Its incubation period ranges from 10 to 12 days. Signs and symptoms of the disease include high fever, runny nose, coughing, red and watery eyes and small white spots inside the cheek.

A few days after infection, a rash erupts on the face and upper neck.

In three days, the rash spreads to the hands and feet.

Then, in five to six days, it starts to fade away. Deadly complications are more common in children under the age of five, or adults over the age of 30.

The Government has stepped up vaccination targeting demographic groups known for vaccine hesitancy, including Apostolic sects.

Ms Nyasha Marimba, a member of the African Apostolic Church, also known as kwaMwazha, said her church does not prevent members from seeking medical attention, including vaccination of children.

“I would like to encourage people to take their children to the clinic for vaccination because they will die if they ignore
such calls,” said Ms Marimba, who had brought her nine-month-old baby for inoculation.

Frontline workers like Sister Dzvova, who lead community vaccination campaigns, are helping to avert deaths among children.

“We heeded the call to come and have our children vaccinated against measles after we heard the message from Sister Dzvova through her communication in a church WhatsApp group,” said another mother, Ms Winnie Mukome.

“She is a member of our church and she is friendly and hardworking.”

The Sunday Mail could not interview Sister Dzvova, as she was not authorised to speak to the media by her superiors.

Repeated efforts to get comment from the company were fruitless.

Share This:

Survey


We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey

This will close in 20 seconds