Cadavers scared the hell out of me

Machakos Level 5 Hospital. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

He had handled many patients suffering Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs) and HIV and that, coupled with the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, saw him developing an interest in infectious diseases.

And so it was that Dr Wambulwa joined the Institute of Tropical and Infectious Disease at the University of Nairobi for his Master's degree in 2015.

"There are few doctors specialising in infectious diseases; I chose this particular course because I had noted the gap and you can even tell they are few from the number of institutions offering such a course," he adds.

In addition to infectious disease, Dr Wambulwa has been the focal person in antimicrobial resistance in the Western region particularly in Kakamega where he has been working on two research projects on antimicrobial resistance surveillance and the rational use of antibiotics.

"Currently, we are recording antimicrobial resistance and if we don't use the antibiotics rationally, it means we may not have more drugs to use," he explains.

"That is why we have been creating awareness on antimicrobial resistance and ensure the health workers and the general public adhere to prevention and control of diseases through sanitation, by washing hands thoroughly, and for the medics to use equipment that protect them from acquiring and spreading pathogens with the resistant-genes," expounds the expert.

Antimicrobial resistance happens when pathogens like bacteria, fungi and viruses (with a special focus on bacteria), no longer respond to drugs that are being administered for treatment or prophylaxis; requiring that a medic gives a higher dose, multiple drugs or use second and third-line agents for the bacteria to respond, according to experts.

Antimicrobial resistance is a threat because such a patient will be managed by expensive drugs, or toxic drugs or drugs that will be used for a longer period and this may also translate to patients staying longer at the hospital.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has five priority pathogens which have been ear-marked to be very dangerous: Staphylococcus Aureus, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Clostridioides Difficile, Clarithromycin-resistant Helicobacter Pylori and Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii.

In his research, Dr Wambulwa has been getting samples from patients, grows the bacteria culture and subjects it to a number of drugs to see if it is resistant or not.

Dr Wambulwa Benard with a Cuban entomologist mapping mosquito breeding sites at Ahero rice farms. [File, Standard]

If resistant, the same is further sent to another lab in South Africa that conducts genomic sequencing to determine the particular gene causing the resistance.

"The main reason for all these is to establish the particular bacteria causing resistance to determine the right kind of treatment for the patient and also to make decisions on how to prevent further spread of the highly resistant pathogen," explains the researcher.

Dr Wambulwa is glad he's practicing what he studied in microbiology genetics and molecular biology.

He notes that drug resistant bacteria causes pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and blood stream infections, which may require patients to be admitted at the hospital.

Away from work, Dr Wambulwa loves spending time with his family; watching soccer, road trips across the country.

"I enjoy working and living here in the county because unlike the urban areas, the cost of living is not so high, although for those that want to get extra work as consultants, we do not have as many opportunities as those living in the urban cities," adds Dr Wambulwa.