Research- Mulago gets sh42m microscope for mums
Jul 18, 2010
MULAGO hospital department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has received a special microscope to screen for abnormal vaginal flora (bacteria), a condition associated with increased risk of cervical cancer, HIV transmission, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and pre-term birth.
By Arthur Baguma
MULAGO hospital department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has received a special microscope to screen for abnormal vaginal flora (bacteria), a condition associated with increased risk of cervical cancer, HIV transmission, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and pre-term birth.
The microscope, only the second in the teaching hospital, is part of a study project worth 15,000 euros (over sh42m) funded by Femicare, a Belgium NGO supporting and performing clinical research on bacterial vaginosis, at Mulago Hospital.
The microscope is equipped with special lenses that help the user to see the microorganisms better.
“This microscope will help us to do a lot of things that we were not able to do for mothers in the past. It will save time and money. The previous process was time consuming, expensive and did not give details,†John Lule, an associate professor at Mulago School of Health Sciences, said.
Dr. Josaphat Byamugisha, the department’s head, said abnormal vaginal flora cause premature births which contribute to the high infant mortality rates. Pre-term babies also often have complications which are very costly for hospitals to manage.
He thanked Femicare for the donation and reiterated the department’s commitment to collaborate with different experts.
Bacterial Vaginosis, a condition that manifests with a foul fishy smell in women, is not widely understood among health workers. Many workers diagnose it through laboratory tests but Prof. Gilbert Donders said this was tedious, costly and time consuming.
The new test method will allow women to test themselves by smearing the vaginal fluid on a strip to find out their vaginal PH. The strip changes colour according to the acidity of the fluids.
Specimens for the women with abnormal results will then be identified and studied with the microscope to identify the infections and then treat the women.
“We might be able to improve female health dramatically in the long run,†Donders noted.
He said even if a small improvement from 10% to 15% of the affected could be achieved, the beneficial effects for the public health can be enormous.
He said this would not only save lives and disease sufferings, but also save money as expensive treatments like taking care of cancer patients or pre-term babies, can be replaced by preventive measures at low cost.
MULAGO hospital department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has received a special microscope to screen for abnormal vaginal flora (bacteria), a condition associated with increased risk of cervical cancer, HIV transmission, ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages and pre-term birth.
The microscope, only the second in the teaching hospital, is part of a study project worth 15,000 euros (over sh42m) funded by Femicare, a Belgium NGO supporting and performing clinical research on bacterial vaginosis, at Mulago Hospital.
The microscope is equipped with special lenses that help the user to see the microorganisms better.
“This microscope will help us to do a lot of things that we were not able to do for mothers in the past. It will save time and money. The previous process was time consuming, expensive and did not give details,†John Lule, an associate professor at Mulago School of Health Sciences, said.
Dr. Josaphat Byamugisha, the department’s head, said abnormal vaginal flora cause premature births which contribute to the high infant mortality rates. Pre-term babies also often have complications which are very costly for hospitals to manage.
He thanked Femicare for the donation and reiterated the department’s commitment to collaborate with different experts.
Bacterial Vaginosis, a condition that manifests with a foul fishy smell in women, is not widely understood among health workers. Many workers diagnose it through laboratory tests but Prof. Gilbert Donders said this was tedious, costly and time consuming.
The new test method will allow women to test themselves by smearing the vaginal fluid on a strip to find out their vaginal PH. The strip changes colour according to the acidity of the fluids.
Specimens for the women with abnormal results will then be identified and studied with the microscope to identify the infections and then treat the women.
“We might be able to improve female health dramatically in the long run,†Donders noted.
He said even if a small improvement from 10% to 15% of the affected could be achieved, the beneficial effects for the public health can be enormous.
He said this would not only save lives and disease sufferings, but also save money as expensive treatments like taking care of cancer patients or pre-term babies, can be replaced by preventive measures at low cost.