Elderly couple’s tale of virus scare

Dar es Salaam. Locked at his home in the Dar es Salaam’s Mbagala suburbs, Mr Juma Msechu, who is approaching 80 years old, has been left with one option; staying at home to protect himself from being infected with the novel coronavirus.

His wife, Sophia Alfonce, now aged 75, is his only comforter as he grapples with self-imposed lockdown at a time Tanzania and the rest of the world is battling the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I have no access to a facemask. No all sorts of things that I can use to keep me away the virus. I have heard of so many preventive ways, some of which I don’t even know how to pronounce them…” says the 79-year-old who used to earn his daily bread from carpentry before old-age set in, leaving him frail and unable to work.

His wife, who plaits baskets to make ends meet, says she has decided to stay home with her husband because they believe that’s the only way they can avoid Covid-19, bearing in mind that the disease causes severe complications among the elderly.

However, their hope to defeat and survive the coronavirus pandemic through confinement is shrouded by one major risk they have no idea how to tackle.

‘One of our sons, who is a bodaboda rider, keeps coming home. My fear is that he might bring the virus to us. We’ve heard it kills more the elderly,” says Sophia. “Our three children (all boys) left us long ago. Everyone went to hustle. Only one out of them happened to study up to Form Two, he’s the young one, a bodaboda rider,’’ she says.

According to the US-based Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), available information and clinical expertise about Covid-19 shows older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness.

The United Nations (UN) says that initial research in China based on over 44,000 cases of Covid-19, showed a mortality rate of 2.3 percent for the general population, rising to 8 percent in those aged 70-79 and nearly 15 percent in those of 80 years and above.

Mr Msechu and his wife are living with unexplained fear due to the coronavirus, not knowing whether they are fully protected from getting the virus or not.

“Since I was born to this age, I have never seen a situation like this that threatens the whole world,” says Ms Sophia Alfonce.

Their only son speaks out

Mr John Ndaki, their only son, says he has even reduced the frequency of going to see his parents to protect them from the virus, he tells The Citizen. He believes this is one way to protect them from being infected.

“I don’t go there always because I may take the virus to them unknowingly. They have vowed not to go out at this time until when the virus threat ends,” he explains.

“What I’m doing now is to keep checking on them because if they get sick at the moment it would be very difficult, given that they don’t have a health insurance cover,” he adds.

Dr Edwin Mung’ong’o, a Health and Care Programme Manager at HelpAge International-Tanzania, says the elderly are likely to face physiological problems during this time of the pandemic, alongside other ageing and potential underlying health conditions. This means, he says, they need more protection from Covid-19.

His organization has re-directed its Jersey Overseas Aid funds in Korogwe and Magu districts to support government efforts prevention of Covid-19.

Dr Mung’ong’o believes that older people have the right to health including access to information, care and medical services on an equal basis with everyone else.

“The risk of discrimination in accessing medical services is one that should be monitored for all high-risk groups, including older people,” he recommends.

He says regular communications with the public and at-risk populations is one of the most important steps to help prevent infections, save lives and minimise adverse outcomes.

He says they were aware that older people were suffering from Hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases and because of ageing, socio-economic factors and low immunity, making them more vulnerable to catching coronavirus.

A psychologist based in Dar es Salaam, Dr Faustine Ngombare says older people were frequently overlooked in development and humanitarian strategy development and funding.

“In the context of Covid-19 and the risk posed to older people, they must be openly identified and considered as more vulnerable. There is no doubt that they are psychologically being tortured currently, and without closer care they may succumb mostly because of fear,” explains Dr Ngombare.

“This group especially those who reside in cities, must be taken care of not to feel abandoned because if they do, they may trigger other diseases such as hypertension,” he adds.

Mr Leonard Ndamgoba, head of HelpAge Humanitarian program in Kigoma says, “We have developed guidelines for older people on how they can protect themselves and be protected from Covid-19. The guidelines have been translated into Kiswahili for local consumption,” he says.