At Soroti Hospital, with an insufficient number of beds in the pediatric ward, mothers and children are forced to camp outside for the duration of their medical treatment. (Photo courtesy Pilgrim Africa)

A footnote to my previous post on Malaria.

Today in Soroti, on ridiculously short notice from the district officials, and with help from the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pilgrim set up a diagnostic and informational tent as part of the grossly underpublicized  local observance of World Malaria Day.  Dr. Okwana from our clinic, two of his technicians, and our trauma counselor Susan Akwii, manned the outpost.  They screened 150 walk-ins, none of whom were experiencing signs of malaria, but who were merely curious.  27 of them were found to be carrying the parasite.  This is an infection rate of nearly twenty percent, from a small, random, and asymptomatic group.

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