Tanzania Medical Trip 2011
On February 28th to March 4, 2011 The Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation operated a student health screening and clinic at Gyetighi school with the Rift Valley Children's Village.
The Canadian health team consisted of three doctors: Violet Shadd, Gulshan Lodhi from Kitchener, Ontario and Anne Darragh from Calgary, four nurses: Taryn Knowler from Calgary, Jackie Rodvang from Consort, Alberta, Latifa Mnyusiwalla from Toronto, Ontario, Nicole Entz from Okotoks, Alberta, Patti Mayer, physiotherapist from Canmore, Alberta, Leslie Reidlinger business woman from High River, Alberta, Maureen Eberts business woman from Calgary, Alberta, Mary Tidlund, Jo-Anne McArthur photographer from Toronto, Ontario and University student Danica Brister from Calgary. Teacher Ami Barras from Fernie, British Columbia.
Shannon Otsuka medical research scientist from Calgary, Carol Pederson nurse from Calgary and Dr. Heather Gilley from Toronto, Ontario joined our team the second week. Other volunteers from the Children's Village included ten translators. They were great to work with. We worked at the school saw and screened, treated and provided education sessions daily. There were many short classes on what a hookworm is, where it comes from, how it lives in the stomach and how to prevent hookworm were given to the students.
In total, we screened and treated over 446 students of which 206 were female and 246 were male. The main health issues were skin infections particularly ringworm and tungiasis, respiratory infections
and parasitic intestinal infections including hookworm.
View The Project Blog
 |
 |
| Nurse Latifa teaching how hookworms live in our bodies. |
Dr. Violet Shadd examining the children. |
 |
 |
| Eye examinations with translators
Selestian and Elisante.
|
Eye examination and feet
soaking for foonzie extraction.
|
 |
| The Canadian Health Team and Translators |
Photo credits: Jo-Anne McArthur
www.joannemcarthur.com
On Sunday March 6th, our team was transported to the Robin Hurt Burko safari camp where we would very comfortably stay in tented shared rooms for the next two weeks. The camp was a half hour to 45-minute drive off the highway across open sparsely inhabited grazed land that was used for cattle and goats and filled with Acacia trees. Each day was a unique experience to see not only the wildlife that would come into our view but also the adventures of traveling and getting stuck in the mud on the way to and from the schools and clinic.
Health Clinics in Communities
On March 7th through to the 18th our team worked in two communities Emqireti and Monduli Juu respectively. The statistics for the number of students screened at the schools and women and babies treated at the clinic are below:
Patients at Burko
Total Patients Seen: 1641 (Male: 428 / Female: 589 / No sex listed: 8)
Total Students: 1025
Total Clinic: 616 (Male: 100 / Female: 404 / No sex listed: 18 / Infants: 94)
Total Physiotherapy: 120 (Male: 12 / Female: 108)
The main health issues of the children were intestinal parasites, respiratory infections, and skin and eye infections that are related to hygiene and nutrition (or lack there of). The lack of water especially in the Emqireti community is a main issue for the health of the entire community. The main issues of the mothers and infants were acute diarrhea/gastroenteritis, pneumonia, otitis media, intestinal parasites, conjunctivitis and cough, upper respiratory tract infections and reactive airways.
Canadian teacher Ami Barras, nurses Latifa Mnyusiwalla and Taryn Knowler gave classes on general health care to all the students at both schools or, at any opportunity that arose.
The team members that we worked alongside from the community included Dr. Wilfred Sungura, the administrator of the Monduli hospital and clinical officer Machumai Kiwanga. The clinical officer treated patients and worked with us in each community. Dr. Wilfred Sungura is the administrator of the Monduli hospital and Theresia Lukumay pediatric nurse at the Monduli hospital, Herman Sulle the clinical officer in charge at Emqireti clinic, Jubilate Temu public health nurse, and Anna Sulle nurse in charge of maternal care at the Emqireti clinic.
A team great team of 20 local translators worked with the length of our stay and translated from Swahili to English for us. In addition local students and some drivers added support when we needed Massai translation to Swahili to English.
Health Workshops with Village Health Care Workers
On March 10th and 17th health care workshops were held at the two communities Emqireti and Monduli clinics that we were working out of. Dr. Sungura from the Burko area, Wesley and Joash from Robin Hurt, Dr. Violet Shadd and nurses Taryn Knowler, Nicole Entz representing the Tidlund Foundation facilitated the workshops. There were 12 of the Burko village health care workers in the first workshop and 5 village health care workers in the second half day workshop.
 |
 |
Back Row: Violet Shadd, Danica Brister, Leslie Reidlinger, Mwanajumbe, Nicole Entz, Gulshan Lodhi, Latifa Mnyusiwalla, Carol Pederson, Patti Mayer, Ami Barras, Taryn Knowler
Front Row: Shannon Otsuka, Anne Darragh, Jackie Rodvang, Mary Tidlund, Heather Gilley, Maureen Eberts
Missing: Jo-Anne McArthur (photographer)
|
Weighing in |
 |
 |
| A lesson about brushing teeth with Ami Barras |
A physio session with Patti Mayer |