Educate maids on modes of infection

The importance of maids cannot be overlooked in the day to day running of families as most The importance of maids cannot be overlooked in the day to day running of families as mostworking class women rely on the them.Although their worth is generally not appreciated, their value and importance is evident when one fails to turn up for work after a weekend or a holiday.
Panic grips the mother as she realises that she may have to miss work if the “now most important person” does not show up. There is a sigh of relief when the maid finally comes, belated, though with a bag of excuses.

Employers ought to train the maids fully but in most cases they are just told the dos and don’ts of the house and that is enough. These include not sitting on dad’s seat, not using the phone unneccessarily unless phoning the madam, not bringing in unwanted friends and visitors and never to lay a switch on the children – that is a dismissable offence.

Also befriending the man of the house is top on the list of dismissables.
Have employers ever thought of the health concerns of their children who are left in the care of these maids who we definitely cannot do without in most cases if not all to those who have them in the employ?

Not really until a catastrophe presents itself and people are left wondering how that could be.
I have known of two families with minors who are HIV positive. The source of infection remains a mystery even today because in their cases they have had numerous maids so they cannot really point a finger, as the source since no tests were done.

In the first family that I will call Unit A, the happy union was disturbed when their six-year-old girl fell ill. The girl had been for years a healthy child who had the normal colds that did not warrant admission into any hospital. The girl got a terrible fever and the doctor admitted her into one of the private hospitals. The family doctor seeing that the girl had complications since the common pneumonia treatment was proving ineffective.

He suggested a full blood count test which showed an abnormality. He then requested an HIV test which the family reluctantly accepted but doubted very much its use.

The results came out in the affirmative. The little girl was HIV positive hence she was not responding to pneumonia treatment.
The disbelief that the parents had was unparalled as each’s faith in the other was shacken.

The wife as in most cases rushed to accuse the husband of infidelity but the man remained calm and professed that he had not strayed from the matrimonial bed.

“So where from?” Was the wife’s demanding and unanswered cry.
Both were required to take HIV tests which came out negative. With the rapid HIV tests now available the results were out while they waited.
So how could the child have got infected?

She had been born in a hospital through a normal delivery. She had never had a blood transfusion and was never involved in an accident.
The doctor asked if they had any other person living with the family to which they both answered yes. The live-in maid.
Could she have deliberately have infected the baby or could it have been accidentally.

The second family, Unit B is also in the same circumstances as both parents are HIV negative. They have even taken a DNA test thinking there could have been a baby switch at the hospital and the tests proved them to be the parents, 99,9 percent.
Who could be the source of infection in both cases? Not that maids are the only people in our households, there are nieces, nephews, uncles and aunts who are potential sources of infection if not well educated can infect minors unknowingly.

In the olden days grandmothers could breastfeed the young ones and there have been instances where orphans were breastfed by women not their biological mothers.

HIV is also transmitted through breast milk. A case reported from Lusaka, Zambia has a similar incident where a 9-month-old baby was diagnosed with a strain of HIV+3. This unusual strain is common in re-infections. When both parents took HIV tests as in the case of Unit A, they were found to be HIV negative.

The doctor requested them to bring in the maid if they had one. They brought the maid who was counselled and asked to take a voluntary HIV test. She tested positive and had the strain which the baby had.

On being asked if she had ever breastfed the baby the maid said “yes”.
She said the baby was used to the mother’s milk and in most instances refused flatly to suck from the bottle. The maid would in such cases breastfeed since she still had milk too.

This was found to be the source of infection.
Although it was unintentional infection this could have been avoided had the mother told the maid of the dangers of breastfeeding anyone’s child.

You do not need to know anyone’s status. No cross breastfeeding of babies is allowed in this day and age. This is the first port of call when a maid comes to help in any household. It is the mothers’ duty to inform, educate and make the domestic help understand.
Surely no sane maid can deliberately infect a child unless you have a sycophant of a maid in the employ.

The other source of infection can be use of pins and needles. How many times has a child had a pricking thorn in the foot and the people at home taken a needle or safetypin to take out the twig? (kutumbura munzwa, ukubangula). In many instances, as seen here all these occassions are possible infection sources. When a pin is used for such purposes it should be discarded in a proper manner.

Young girls also use needles to make holes in the ears for beauty purposes. The same needle could be used on several people which is also dangerous. Old people used one needle in their days but those were the years when there were no infections transmitted in this manner.

A scientist also pointed out that toothbrushes should not be left in the bathroom which is a public domain. He said that a person with cruel intentions could infect a whole household through the use of toothbrushes.

“Toothbrushes must never be left in the bathroom which is a public place as anyone with cruel intentions could use anyone’s toothbrush with the owner in the dark,” he pointed out.

“Bleeding gums can leave traces on the bristles and these can be a hidden source of infection. Many people still think that HIV is only passed through sexual networks which is not true,” he added.

“People must keep such hygienic gadgets in safe places and infact the bathroom is the room with most bacteria flouting around,” he said.
If you had toothbrushes in the bathroom remove them immediately to safe drawers where each person keeps her/his own.

Housemaids are a part most people can not do without and educating them would help. In this day and era, with adverts everywhere, everyone ought to know their HIV status.

This does not mean taking househelps for forced HIV tests. It is improper and unlawful but educating one on the dangers of infection saves a life.
In all you strive to get, may you get understanding.
Till then God bless.
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