{"id":29054,"date":"2019-08-13T12:08:19","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.afidep.org\/stimulating-public-discussion-on-sepsis-in-malawi-media-interview-with-dr-paul-kawale\/"},"modified":"2019-08-13T12:08:19","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T09:08:19","slug":"stimulating-public-discussion-on-sepsis-in-malawi-media-interview-with-dr-paul-kawale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/afidep.org\/fr\/stimulating-public-discussion-on-sepsis-in-malawi-media-interview-with-dr-paul-kawale\/","title":{"rendered":"Stimulating Public Discussion on Sepsis in Malawi: Media interview with Dr Paul Kawale"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sepsis<\/a>\u00a0is a life-threatening condition caused by your body\u2019s toxic response to infection. Globally, there are an estimated 30 million cases of sepsis each year, over 7 million of which end in death. In fact, sepsis is the second biggest cause of death in the world and the leading cause of preventable death. Despite being a major killer, sepsis remains broadly unknown by the general public and health care workers and is under-prioritised by decision-makers.<\/p>\n

To address this lack of awareness and under-prioritisation of sepsis,\u00a0Dr Paul Kawale<\/a>, a public health social scientist and Knowledge Translation Scientist at the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP<\/a>), was interviewed by journalist Meclina Chirwa in a live broadcast on\u00a0Timveni Radio<\/a>\u00a0in Malawi. Dr Kawale is project manager on the\u00a0African Research Collaboration on Sepsis (ARCS<\/a>). The interview was designed to spark dialogue on sepsis in an effort to bring greater awareness to the issue. In his interview, Dr Kawale informed the public on what sepsis is, its burden on society, and why it is critical to prevent sepsis and save lives. The interactive nature of the interview allowed for the general public to call in, to ask questions, and seek clarifications about sepsis. This engaging interview marked an effective way of bringing awareness to an under-appreciated and complicated health issue like sepsis. Below is an overview of key messages that arose from the interview.<\/p>\n

Interview: What is\u00a0sepsis?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Kawale explained sepsis as when the microorganisms (bacterium) that fight diseases in our bodies have multiplied and spread throughout the body causing harm. This may lead to other body parts to stop functioning and many times causes death. Sepsis is caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi that can come from unhygienic water and food. Other ways of transmission include contraction from animals or other people, and unsanitary conditions in hospitals as well as in homes.<\/p>\n

Interview: Public queries<\/strong><\/p>\n

After this introductory conversation, the phone line was opened to the audience. People called in from across the country, including from Liwonde in Machinga District, Santhe in Kasungu District, Mvera in Dowa District, Lilongwe City\u2019s Area 24, Mchinji District, Sipwa in Nkhata Bay District, Dedza District and Karonga DIstrict. A majority of the callers expressed having little or no knowledge of sepsis and their questions included:<\/p>\n