International charity Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF) is pleased to announce that its health intervention project Action Meningitis has triaged over 200,000 children since it began in October 2012.
MRF funded research indicated that outcomes from meningitis in Malawi are especially bad, more than half the babies and children who get meningitis in Malawi will die from the illness (compared to 1 in 10 in the UK). Meningitis is poorly understood in Malawi – many people seek the wrong sort of treatment or seek it too late, and there can often be delays reaching appropriate healthcare.
Research also shows that over half of meningitis cases are mistaken as malaria and the consequential delay in receiving appropriate treatment greatly increase mortality and morbidity from meningitis.
As a result MRF set up Action Meningitis in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre and D-tree International to introduce a health intervention project which has pioneered the use of mobile phone technology.
Working in eight clinics the phones help health workers quickly pick out and prioritise children who are seriously ill and need help. This method of triage which sorts patients into categories of priority for treatment is empowering 250 specially trained health workers to save lives by quickly and accurately identifying serious illnesses and fast tracking emergency cases to hospital. The work has already reached over 200,000 children in 2 years.
Thomasena O’Byrne, Project Manager for Action Meningitis in Blantyre said: “its great news that our project has triaged so many children and undoubtedly it
has saved many lives. We will continue to work with local clinics to ensure that they identify children who are seriously ill and get them the appropriate
medical help as soon as possible.”
Action Meningitis is also raising awareness of meningitis among the public and health professionals through a special radio programme which ran in 2012/2013 and August & November 2014 on the major national broadcaster (Malawi Broadcasting Corporation). The programmes highlighted the symptoms of meningitis which strike fast and can kill or seriously disable in hours and featured several people who experienced the disease.
“In 2015 we will be raising further awareness of the disease amongst local communities by working with a local theatre group to provide community theatre
to a population of 4,000 people. This will raise awareness of disease signs, promote clinic improvements, and explore issues around decision making and
health seeking behaviour with a view to empowering parents (especially mothers) to seek appropriate health support.”
“Whilst in the short term we are proud to be raising awareness of meningitis and providing vital, effective triage to thousands of children, our long term goal is to make a permanent impact that will help Malawi deliver better healthcare.”
To find out more about Action Meningitis go to: or contact our project manager Thomasena O’Byrne on: 0999613293
