This report is to show the reader what the Community Health Care Workers see and do on their rounds through towns surrounding the Waterfield Primary Health Care Center in the Madina Community, Kakata, Margibi County, Liberia.
Community 1: Kpelleh (May 1-2, 2019)
Topics: Discussed Personal Hygiene & Sanitation
We had 60 women, 11 men, and 35 children (a total number of 106) come to the gathering in the Kpelleh community.
We taught them that personal hygiene is the proper way to take care of themselves and to start from the head and end with the toes.
- Wash hair every week, dry it and grease it; men should cut their hair every week and wash it every day, grease it and brush it well.
- Brush teeth at least twice a day.
- Bathe twice a day.
- Shave every part of the body that needs to be shaved regularly.
- Cut nails so that they will be clean and safe from dirt.
- Wash hands before and after preparing food.
- Wash hands before eating food and wash food that needs washing before eating it.
- Wash your hands after using the toilet or bath room; wash your hands when you come in contact with a person or not.
We say to them that if they do all of these things, it will help them from coming in contact with some diseases like Typhoid fever and common running stomach. So we encourage the community members to pass the message to their friends.
On May 2, 2019, we gathered the community people and told them about Sanitation and that it is a way to take good care of their homes and environment:
- Clean in and outside of the house every day.
- Cut and brush grass from around homes.
- Clean around well and hand pumps – keeps it safe.
We tell them to do this to avoid snakes and mosquitoes from coming in their homes, because bites from these things will get them sick. If they don’t get the rightful treatment, it may lead to their death and emphasize that this is why sanitation is very important in our lives.
Some cases we saw:
- A man who was 75 yr old man had a wound on his right ankle since 2011. His relative was using some herbs, but it was no better.
- A 15yr old girl got burned with hot oil while cooking.
- We met 7 pregnant women and served 6 with the prenatal vitamins; one had already reached her 9 months.
- We met 3 mothers with babies and encouraged them to take their babies to the clinic or hospital for vaccines.
Community 2: Dartuta (May 3, 2019)
We saw 16 men, 33 women, and 31 children for a total of 80 persons. We took blood pressure of 14 people.Dartu town has one public school.
Topics: Personal Hygiene & Sanitation
We encouraged pregnant women to go to clinic or hospital for mother/child safety so the midwife will not face too many problems during delivery.
We also encouraged mothers to take their babies to the clinic or hospital for vaccines and told them about the importance of the vaccines that can prevent children from getting polio, yellow fever and measles
Community 3: Walker Farm (May 6-8, 2019)
We had eight (8) pregnant women in Walker Farm. Four were served with our prenatal vitamins, 2 already had prenatal vitamins from the hospital; the other 2 were not served they were already in their nine (9) month.
We saw 2 babies’ mothers, 114 women, 48 men and 76 children with the grand total of 238 persons. Walker farm has one school and 8 hand pumps
Topic: Personal Hygiene and Cycle Bead
The cycle bead [birth control pills] was presented. The cycle bead is to prevent from getting many children without taking a tablet, injection or any other form of family planning. This is the natural way of planning for a family that will not cause any bleeding or create other problem for us.
Cases that we notice were:
- A 17-year-old boy was burned by fire; a blast burned his two legs under a car. He was treated at another clinic, but to no avail. He later came home and someone started using herbs on the burns. We encouraged him to come back to Waterfield Clinic.
- We meet a woman who told us that since she was born she never experienced menstrual period, and because of that, she had (8) children.
- We also came across a 4-rear-old girl whose mother said that she have been suffering from rashes on her skin that come for a short time and go. Her mother said that she has taken her to a clinic and hospital for treatment but is no better.
Community # 4 Wenneh Town (May 9, 10, 13, 2019)
We spoke to 158 females, 44 males, 319 children for a total 521 persons. We took blood pressure of 31 persons.
Topics: Dental and Sanitation:
Sanitation:
- We told the Wenneh town people to wash their hands, not only to avoid Ebola, but to avoid so many sicknesses and diseases.
- We told them to always clean their homes and surroundings.
Dental: We told them that dental care is the way we take good care of our mouth.
- Brush teeth at least two times a day
- Floss two times a day in the morning and evening
- Do this to avoid bad teeth and bad smell from your mouths while talking to friends.
We also told them about the outreach that will be at J.F.K. Hospital in Monrovia.
Cases we saw in Wenneh town:
- An 8th grade student she told us that one night she had a dream that she fell down and when she woke up from sleep, her feet got shallower and she could not walk; since then she not been able to move her two legs properly.
- A lady had a problem with her neck; we also encouraged her to take advantage of the outreach at J.F.K Hospital.
- A 20-year-old female whose mother said that she was normal till age of 14to 15. She sat down on the ground, and since then she has not been able to walk. Her mother also told us that it was the cause of injections that were given on her butt at the age of 3 months.
- A young man who had a wound on his foot as at the result of playing football.
Pregnant women:
We were able to meet eleven (11) pregnant women nine (9) receive the prenatal vitamin from us, while two already had their medicine from other clinic or hospital.
We had nine (9) babies’ mothers.
We went to the Wenneh town public school and we were able to talk to our brothers and sisters about personal hygiene, sanitation and dental care. Wenneh town has 2 schools. The town as 11 hands pumps.
Community # 5: 14th Road Community (490 people) (May15-16, 2019)
Topics: personal hygiene, sanitation and how to prevent malaria
Cases we saw:
- We met so many children with Dental problems.
- A post-up woman who said that she was experiencing heavy pain from her waist to her knee since she gave birth 3 months ago.
- We meet a child (2yrs) that came depress during delivery and finds it difficult to walk.
- We saw a 4-year-old girl that had an enlarged spleen due to prolong malaria that was not treated well.
- We saw 10 children with dental problems.
- We met a little girl that had sores all over her body. We encouraged her mother to bring her to our clinic of go to the J.F. K. Hospital.
Community # 7: Jambo Village (239 people) (May 20, 2019)
Topic: Personal Hygiene, Sanitation, and Cycle Bead
Cases we saw:
- (75yrs) old lady a problem with her 2 feet and she cannot walk by herself. She was taken to the bong mines hospital and given a walking stick and has been using the walking stick for 4yr.
- A 21yrs old man who is always vomiting with blood; clinic confirmed him suffering from ulcer.
- A 5yrs old boy suffering from eye problem. His eyes are red and itch him too much. We were not able to get to his mother, because she were not around.
Community # 8: Gio Quarter (144 people)(May 21, 2019)
Cases Notes
- A 52 year old man fell sick in Weala and was taken to the J.F.K hospital for treatment. He came home one day while going in the bath room and he fell. From that day he stopped moving his hands and legs. This sickness has been on this man since 3 years. We also did his blood pressure and it was 160/100mmhg, so we encouraged his children and relatives to take him to the clinic.
- We did two older women’s blood pressure and both were high, so we told them what to do, and we also encouraged them to come to the clinic for proper checkup and treatment.
