By Aveline Kitomary

On March 16, this year, Tanzania was gripped with fear when the first case of the Covid-19 pandemic was reported. This panic increased in intensity when the first Covid-19 death was also announced while the figure of patients kept soaring day after day.

The fear led of the deadly pandemic led some Tanzanians to preparing for the lockdown as schools and colleges were closed on March 17 to avoid gatherings.

Hajjrath Mohamed is one of the lockdown victims who spent six months in a ‘prison’ of her own fearing the spread of the corona virus.

“I was gripped with fear as I am a victim of lupus (a protean disease that can cause inflammation in just about every part of the body, including the synovium). There were conflicting reports that people with weaker body immunity are prone to attack by the corona virus,” she says.

“Health experts say lupus sufferers can be attacked at any time by Covid-19. I feared going out that I would be infected by the corona virus,” she adds.

“When person brought food for me, he or she made sure had a mask or stood far from me.”

Deo Sanya, a petty trader at the Kariakoo market in Dar es Salaam, says he was infected with the corona virus by a customer who visited his shop.

“I had symptoms of the corona virus. I used traditional herbs and recovered. My wife was nine months pregnant and got infected with the corona virus,” Senya says.

“I had tough time to secure a hospital for treatment of wife. Everywhere I went health workers developed fear that my wife would infect them with the corona virus.”

However, Senya says one expensive hospital in Dar es Salaam accepted to treat his wife who also gave birth safely.

“I thank God my wife and the child are all in sound health,” he says.

HOW FEAR WAS DEFEATED

In the past six months there are no reported cases of Covid-19 as all treatment centres have been closed and life has normalized.

Hajjrath and her baby who were in lockdown for six months are now enjoying their normal life.

Senya had the courage to come out from the lockdown and continue with his campaign against lupus after the government announced that Covid-19 had been defeated.

Although there are no new statistics on the current situation of the pandemic, Senya says he continues with observing the precautionary measures against Covid-19.

During the outbreak of the corona virus, he says every person claimed to be an expert disseminating information on the disease through the social media, which led to creating more fear among the people.

“I had discussions with my friends through the social media exchanging information on how we could prevent infection of the corona virus to lupus sufferers,” he says.

“I am now leading a healthy life continuing with my normal business activities. Taking precautionary measures against Covid-19 is of paramount importance,” he adds.

Senya and his wife, Hajrath, have taken a leading role becoming strong campaigners against Covid-19.

“Tanzanians should continue observing measures to contain the corona virus. I have now become an anti-Covid-19 campaigner visiting schools and communities to create awareness of the pandemic,” she says.

In the beginning, Senya says exaggerated reporting of the devastating consequences of the disease had created anxiety among the people public.

“Many advertisements and reports were overblown beyond human comprehension. But when there were no reported Covid-19 deaths, I became confident that the said adverts and reports were wholly blown up to create fear to the people,” he says.

“Now even if a person sneezes, that involuntary action doesn’t create fear to me or my family. I am leading a normal life and continuing with my business activities. I thank the government for containing the fear which gripped this country when the first Covid-19 case was reported.

Senya continues: “When the corona virus first struck, health workers were apprehensive; some even ran away from their workplaces when they heard a corona patient has been admitted in a hospital ward.”

HOW FEAR WAS CONTROLLED

The Dar es Salaam Regional Coordinator of Psychiatry, Dr. Frank Mkui, says fear can be psychiatric disorder which can be treated.

“There’s a fear disorder called ‘enziet’. A person can have fear without knowing where that fear comes from. But there’s fear which can be created,” he says.

“For example, the media and social media can create fear among the people like the devastating effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This kind of fear is mere creation,” explains Dr. Mkui.

He says during the outbreak of the corona virus many people took precautionary measures seriously based on fear.

“For example, health regulations require people to wear masks and to observe distance. The more a person is closer to you, the more the fear you have of the corona virus. This kind of fear isn’t a disease,” says Dr. Mkui.

He says Tanzanians have confidently defeated fear of the corona virus after getting correct and accurate information from the government that they should continue with their routine daily economic activities unhindered.

“We have defeated the fear of Covid-19. We thank President Magufuli for telling Tanzanians that as a nation we are safe from the pandemic. We trust the president, and any person whom you trust if he or she tells you something, you believe it,” Dr. Mkui says.

WHAT’S FEAR

A psychologist at the Muhimbili National Hospital, Isaack Lema says fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.

He says when a person encounters any danger fear becomes a ringing bell that alerts all is not well.

Fear is a natural, powerful, and primitive human emotion. It involves a universal biochemical response as well as a high individual emotional response. Fear alerts us to the presence of danger or the threat of harm, whether that danger is physical or psychological.

According to Dr. Mkui, fear often involves both physical and emotional symptoms. Each person may experience fear differently, but some of the common signs and symptoms include chest pain, chills, dry mouth, nausea, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling and upset stomach.

In addition to the physical symptoms of fear, people may experience psychological symptoms of being overwhelmed, upset, feeling out of control, or a sense of impending death.

The corona virus was first reported at the end of last year in Wuhan city in China and in January this year it began spreading worldwide.

There was lack of correct and accurate information on the new pandemic as people relied on announcement from the government.

This caused the rapid spread of Covid-19 across the globe, thus creating panic to various nations badly hit by the disease such Italy, Britain and France, the United States.

Because of Africa’s fragile economy, the pandemic has caused untold fear among people of the continent.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 37.2 million people have been infected with the corona virus. It is estimated that 1.07 million people have died while 27.9 million have recovered.

The United States has the highest number of 7 million people infected with the corona virus, 218,867 deaths and 5,067,698 recoveries.

In Africa, South Africa has the highest number of 688,352 infected persons, 17,547 deaths and 680,081 people who have recovered.

As of May this year, Tanzania had 509 infected persons, 21 deaths and 183 people who recovered, according to government figures.