Dr. Isabella Kamere's Video Transcript
Dr. Isabella M. Kamere Mueni (Meningitis Information Care and Research Foundation, Kenya): “To end and fight meningitis in Kenya we have started a foundation called the Meningitis Information Care and Research Foundation, which we hope will be able to give information to prevent and fight meningitis.
It is largely misdiagnosed and really it's not known as much in Kenya but maybe with more awareness people will be aware of it and be able to take preventive measures.
It came from a friend of mine who lost a very close relative who was even expecting and the loss of a mother and the child was a very difficult thing for him so talking about it and seeing what he's going through, then you see that the disease is really there - it's just that it's not talked about.
Three/four people came together and we realized hey we all have lost someone to meningitis so we went out to other people and started reaching out to them and saying why can't we start this organization? When we talked and put it on media people started calling and saying ‘hey I lost my limbs I am like this I'm like that, where are you based so that we can come because we need to come we need to meet others.’
We realized there is a need, there's a vacuum and we need to do something even if we are going to just giving the information - it prevents deaths and prevents disability. If we're going to provide a platform for networking then we are touching somebody's heart, someone is going to find a friend to, find comfort, to find solace in knowing that they're not alone.”