The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
THE Muscular Dystrophy Centre in Odzi has reopened after closing during the March 2020 lockdown in which eight dystrophic children died, while the rest’s condition worsened due to lack of exercises and good nutrition.
The centre opened on January 4 with 18 inmates.
DOCAS chief executive officer, Reverend Togara Mapingure, said more children are expected when schools open.
“The children are predisposed to Covid-19 as they already have respiratory and cardiac complications apart from lack of ability to walk. They use BiPAP devices for breathing, and the only option was to close the centre down since we had no adequate PPEs. The centre relied on shuttling volunteers, they could not move in/out as it further exposed the children to Covid-19,” said Rev Mapingure.
“Unfortunately we lost eight children during that period. The majority of the children have deteriorated, and we could not take back seven who are already bedridden. About four boys have lost ambulation, and are prematurely wheelchair-bound because they missed out their regular exercises and good nutrition,” he said.
Rev Mapingure said their 25 care givers are now getting an allowance, which now affords them to be resident at the centre on a month shifts.
Muscular Dystrophy is a neuromuscular condition caused by lack of a protein called dystrophin that results in progressive muscle weakness, condemning victims to wheelchairs by their teens and death in their 20s.
The disease mostly affects boys.
The centre integrates healthcare, rehabilitation and education of dystrophic children.
