Maravi

E/Province PS links epedemics to illiteracy

E/Province PS links epedemics to illiteracy
By Christopher Miti in Chipata
Thursday October 02, 2008 [04:00]

EASTERN Province deputy permanent secretary Eularia Syamujaye has said it is difficult to fight epidemics when the general populace is illiterate. Officiating at the International Literacy Day celebrations in Chipata on Tuesday on behalf of Eastern Province minister Charles Shawa, Syamujaye said it was difficult to develop the communities and strengthen disease control when illiteracy levels remained high.

"According to the Zambian demographic and health surveys of 2001 to 2002, Zambia's literacy rate for the population aged 15 years and above stood at 65 per cent.

The spread of the epidemics in our communities have been accelerated by the fact that there are so many people who are still illiterate or ignorant of the facts surrounding these epidemics this is why illiteracy is considered as a disease by itself," Syamujaye said.

She said the government through the multi-sectoral approach was intensifying measures to educate the public in order to prevent diseases such as malaria.

"The literacy programmes of sensitising communities have helped to reduce the incidence and prevalence of malaria. Some of the measures are on the need to live in clean environment, sleeping under mosquito nets and receiving anti malarial drugs," Syamujaye said.

She said illiterates did not only slow the process of epidemic control by failing to interpret information that is written on billboards and posters, but they were also unable to follow medical prescription by medical doctors.

"This has a catastrophic effect in that the patients can develop resistance to that particular drug which could eventually lead to a person's death contrary to somebody who is literate. You will agree with me that in certain instances patients take long to heal or do not heal at all because they under-dosed or overdosed themselves because of their inability to read and understand their medical schedule," she said.

Syamujaye said patients with low literacy levels worldwide have been reported more likely to have poor health than their literate counterparts.

Labels: EASTERN PROVINCE, EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE, PERMANENT SECRETARIES

posted by MrK @ 4:43 AM