1.Amebiasis – 78
2.Giardiasis – 52
3.Infectious Dermatitis – 52
4.Other Diarrheal Conditions – 134
5.Unintentional Injuries – 36
6.Malaria (3 Falciparum) – 22
7.Mental Health Problem – 17
8.Dental Problems – 15
9.Febrile Illness – 12
10.Other Gynecologic Infections – 10
11. In-country Hospitalizations = 13
12. Emergency Medical Evacuations = 7 (to Senegal =2; to Washington DC= 5)
Not included in this list are assaults and thefts not resulting in physical harm. Included in this list are many specific occurrences, such as appendicitis, a hernia operation, and two deaths and 2 injured by electrocution. I will share two other incidents with you here: being gored by a bull, and being knifed in the face.
Gored by a Bull
A woman volunteer was in her village with some native Malian friends. They were watching a herd of cattle coming through the village. This happens regularly. Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. Then something different happened. A bull became upset, and charged the volunteer and her group of friends. Each person began running in a different direction. The bull selected the volunteer as the target. He caught-up with her in a field, and sank his horn into her backside 6 inches. She was sent to the medical clinic in Bamako for treatment. Luckily, there was not major injuries. No organs, bones, or major nerves were effected. A few days later, she was even walking (a couple of steps).
Knifed in the Face
I was sitting near my bed in the Peace Corps Medical Bureau recovering from my hernia surgery. A young woman volunteer approached me with a pleasant smile, and an ice pack that she held on her right cheek. I saw that her face looked a little swollen, and I immediately thought 'toothache'.
She introduced herself, and asked why I was in the medical bureau. I briefly summarized my experience. Then she began her story. Honestly, I was half paying attention. Toothaches are not compelling for me. But quickly, she had my entire, amazed attention.
She was sleeping in her house in her village. She has a locked compound, a fence surrounding her house and yard. Because it was so hot, she was sleeping outside in her tent. It was early in the evening, around 9pm. She said that she felt a 'pressure' on the right side of her face, but not enough to wake her from her deep sleep. Then something fell on her head. She awoke, startled. There was a man at her bed side. She screamed. He ran.
But something was different. There was something 'attached' to her face. What?! It was a knife, left in her by the attacker. Over the next 45 minutes as first the neighbors, then the police arrived, she remained with the knife in her face. Someone got a picture of it. It entered her right cheek area, and came out her throat area. (Sure enough, as she was talking, I noticed a hole in her throat area.)
What had happened? Why, why, why? Subsequent investigations deduced that a man had entered the locked compound, quietly unzipped her tent, then with the aid of a flashlight, he buried a knife into her sleeping face. Nothing was missing. This was not a robbery. Then he dropped the flashlight on her head (which woke her up), and he ran when she screamed.
Luckily, the knife missed all vital spots. The volunteer was walking and talking normally the day after the event. However, emotionally, she is very troubled. Why did this happen??? Mali is a very gentle nation. Bamako is one of the safest capital cities in the world. Deadly assaults are very very rare. This volunteer does not have answers to her questions.
Certainly this is VERY troubling. Every volunteer in the Country was shocked. Yet please be assured that most volunteers do not live in fear. We feel valued and cared for in our villages. Malians and volunteers often cry as the volunteers leave their village to return to the USA.
Please be safe. Life is a gift, isn't it?