Malawians in the dark of haemophilia disease
Specialist for blood diseases at the College of Medicine in Lilongwe, Dr. Yohane Mlombe has stressed the need to sensitize Malawians on Haemophilia.
He said this in Lilongwe on Tuesday when he opened a two-day media awareness training on Haemophilia at Nurses Council.
Mlombe explained that Haemophilia is a disease which composed of bleeding disorders and is hereditary and the disease is common in male people.
He explained that haemophilia signs and symptoms are abnormal nose bleeding, coughing out blood, swollen knee and elbow among others.
Mlombe added that in female organs Haemophilia is detected due to prolonged menstruation period with blood clotting.
“Currently in Malawi only 7 people are suspected to have the haemophilia and only 2 were diagnosed representing 0.5 percent of the affected,” he explained.
Donors have brought equipment to detect haemophilia and UK experts are coming to help Malawians who are suspected to have the disease.
He urged the media to help the society in spreading the message all over the country about the awareness campaign which is scheduled to take place on November 11 to 12, 2016 at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH).
Speaking earlier civil rights activist Emmie Chanika, who is one of the organisers, said the aim of the training is to find those who are suspected to have haemophilia problems as well as to reach out to all those who are not in the know of the existing disease.
She said that people will be taught on how to take care of patients with haemophilia since many people do not know what haemophilia is because it is not easy to identify who is diagnosed with the disease.
Chanika added that a lot of people have been losing their lives with excessive bleeding without knowing the cause.
The awareness campaign is being funded by Novonordisk Haemophilia foundation and haemophilia Scotland.
Society of Haemophilia and Alied Disorders in Malawi was established in November, 2014.
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