If I said to you the words urinary tract infection (UTI), I think it’s safe to say that more than 80% of you would know what that is. Which is why I was absolutely amazed, that over 30 women did not know what it was when I spoke to them about it in Kenya a few months ago.
These women all thought that the uncomfortable, horrible symptoms were a part of life and that they just had to live with it. After my talk about the infection we got a list of women who were experiencing the symptoms – we tested them with dipsticks and on we went to visit them in there houses over the next few days.
Most women didn’t actually have a UTI but something easier to cure… thrush. And so after realising how many women silently suffered from thrush, we organised a mini medical camp where we assessed, tested and treated these women for either a UTI or thrush.
It was wonderful to know that we treated over 40 women in the space of 1-2 hours for a UTI or thrush. These women thought it was a part of life to live with these symptoms.
They were too embarrassed to even mention a problem might exist. With education and a little reassurance that it was OK to talk and seek help about private personal things, we increased their standard of living.