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Walter Mswazie
Ms Makaita Mago (43) (Not real name) of Cyclone Idai-hit Bikita District is HIV positive and on Antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Her homestead was destroyed by the cyclone heavy winds and rains which left four people dead in the same district.
In Chimanimani and Chipinge more than 3 000 families were left homeless after their homes were destroyed.
The now homeless Ms Mago says all her belongings, including identity particulars, hospital cards and three months’ supply of antiretroviral drugs were lost in the disaster forcing her to discontinue her medication.
This has violated ART’s cardinal rule that one should not default on treatment once they have started. As if that was not enough, the bridge and the road leading to the nearest clinic where she collects her medication after every three months were destroyed.
Ms Mago said it took her almost a month to be able to go back for yet another regiment of drugs. The month that she defaulted treatment might have adverse affect on her health. Ms Mago said health workers at the opportunistic infections department told her that they feared that the virus could have got an opportunity to mutate when she defaulted treatment.
“I lost all my belongings including my HIV medication and my children’s identity and academic documents. My homestead was destroyed. My family and I survived by bolting out of the kitchen hut,” said Ms Mago.
She said her 14-year-old daughter who is also HIV positive also lost her medication to the disaster and it took her a while to be re-introduced on ART as she could not locate her records.
The mother of three’s scenario is shared by about 500 people in Gutu, Zaka and part of Masvingo district which were hit by the cyclone.
According to the National Aids Council, about 138 208 people are living with HIV in Masvingo province and among them, 9 700 are children.
A village health worker from Chief Marozva area in Bikita East, Ms Marry Tichivangani said a number of people living with HIV had defaulted on their medication following Cyclone Idai but they were still compiling figures of those who were affected.
“In my village we have more than 20 villagers including children who were affected. They were on ART but were forced to default for almost three weeks as their drugs were washed away by the raging floods.
“All their records were also destroyed and what worsened the situation was that they could not access clinics after bridges were destroyed”, said Ms Tichivangani.
Bikita district administrator Mr Herbert Hadzirabwi said while his office did not have statistics of people living with HIV affected by Cyclone Idai, he had figures of people defaulting on their medication following the floods. He said some victims were identified in Takawira Village under Chief Mukanganwi area where much of the destruction was witnessed.
“I know a family which has two members on ARVs and they lost all their belongings. Efforts were being made to have them re-initiated on time but circumstances could not allow that to happen as they could not travel to the nearest clinic to collect their medication given the incessant rains,” said Mr Hadzirabwi.
He said the victims only got assistance on the third day when health workers managed to travel to Silveira Mission to collect medication on their behalf. Masvingo NAC provincial manager, Mr Edgar Muzulu said he knew of nine people living with HIV who were affected by the weather phenomena in Bikita but were eventually assisted.
He said follow-ups on their progress were done and it was refreshing to note that they did not suffer any major complications as a result of defaulting on treatment for days. NAC operating director Mr Evos Makoni hailed health organisations for acting swiftly to assist people living with the virus adding that in hard hit areas in Chimanimani and Chipinge, rescue teams were deployed on time. He however said the destruction of roads posed a great challenge to the distributoin of ARVs .
“We had challenges in distributing ARVs in Chimanimani, Chipinge and Bikita,” said Mr Makoni.
He said at Kopa in Rusitu area, Chimanimani some people had to share drugs with those whose homes were not destroyed until the rescue teams arrived with medication.
“As NAC, we thank our partners who were quick to attend to the situation as they brought different types of drugs to the marooned and those whose homes were destroyed.
“Mobile clinics were established and people started to get treated as most clinics had their drug stocks boosted,” he said.
Available information has shown that more than one million people on ART in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe had their medication destroyed following Cyclone Idai floods.
Mozambique, which has approximately 2,1 million people living with HIV was the worst affected as an estimated 50 percent of patients were unable to access health services during the floods. – @walterbswazie2
Online Reporter