Date: 22/1/2020
Nick Burn/Jean Safari Mwandulo
Languages – French/Lingala
Name: Mayanga Vumbo – Male, 28 years
Married with 6 children
In January 2020, CBM supported the MoH National Programme to fight NTDs, to organise training for Trachoma Trichiasis trainers (TT) in Ubangi Sud – the first of its kind in DRC. Four ophthalmologists and one cataract surgeon received training to perform this operation, so they can in turn train other surgeons and begin to tackle the estimated backlog of 50,000 TT cases in DRC.
After a week of training on mannequins, the trainees carried out live surgery under the close supervision of experienced TT surgeons/trainers, at Bwamanda Hospital.
The patients were identified in the surrounding districts. Dr Safari Mwandulo, CBM’s NTD Coordinator in DRC went to Boto town to look for TT cases. It was there that he met Mayanga Vumbo and his sister Makoyo Malingo – both affected with trichiasis for several years.
Mayanga said that he first noted a problem with his eyes when he was 8 years old – they started to sting and he began to find it difficult to read. He was forced to stop school in the 5th year of primary school by which time his eyelashes were permanently rubbing on his corneas and were very painful.
Mayanga consulted a doctor but he didn’t know what the problem was. The pain became steadily worse over the years. He visited doctors several times but the treatments he was given didn’t alleviate the pain as the trichiasis could only be rectified by surgery.
Mayanga heard about the opportunity for free surgery from his sister, and they both happily travelled the hour and a half to Bwamanda.
The next day, Mayanga was the last to be operated on by trainee Dr Odette Chalwe. The operation, which took about an hour, involves the inversion of the upper eyelid using a special plate. After this an incision is made on the inside of the eyelid before stiches are carefully inserted to ensure the lashes are no longer touching the cornea. Mayanga lay quietly throughout and later said that although the surgery was a bit painful he accepted it gladly as he knew it would relieve the pain he had been suffering and would save his sight.
The next day, the bandages were removed and the trainees examined Mayanga’s eyes to check the results of the surgery. Happily it had gone well and the Global trainer for TT, Dr Amir Kello from WHO, indicated that the operation had been successful.
As we sat with Mayanga, he said that the pain due to the rubbing lashes was gone.
Asked what difference this would make to his life, he explained that he had to stop his school education due to trachoma – something he was very sorry to have done. “I hope to go back to school and finish my education before I am too old,” he said.
Mayanga’s older sister Mokoya Malingo was also affected by trichiasis and received surgery the same day as her brother. She is 32 years old and has 9 children. Her daily work consists of cultivating her fields to grow crops to feed the family. As a result of the trichiasis, she hasn’t been able to work much and had been struggling to feed her children. She was very relieved that she would be able to work normally again and make sure her children don’t go hungry.
Mayanga said that when he went back to his home in Boto, he would encourage others to go for surgery if they are also suffering from TT. “People really fear operations on their eyes,” he said, “But I will explain that this is an operation on the eyelid and that they shouldn’t be afraid.”
Mayanga and his sister expressed their thanks to CBM for this life-changing operation.
Boto Health Zone is due to receive the first mass distribution of Azithromycin in 2020 to reduce prevalence and help prevent the spread of trachoma. Mayanga and Mokoyo will ensure their whole family takes the medication and that their children wash their faces at least twice a day – this will help to make sure that they don’t suffer the same fate as their parents.