When I tell people I disinfect ambulances and isolation wards for a living, most of them think I am crazy especially people my age. Some of my friends are busy with TikTok dance challenges or chasing soft life dreams, and here I am, deep in protective gear, spraying down virus-contaminated zones for eight hours straight. Sometimes longer.
My name is Mwachiro Ngala Mangale I am 23yrs old, the youngest on our 15 person hygiene team here at the Utange Isolation Center in Mombasa. We are part of the MSF emergency response for the current MPOX outbreak, working alongside the Mombasa County Department of Health. My job? Disinfect everything from the red zone, where confirmed MPOX patients are, to the green zone, and even the ambulances that bring in suspected cases. It’s a lot of responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly.
People think this work is about chemicals and cleaning, but it’s more than that. It’s about protecting lives, those of the patients, their families, and even the doctors and nurses who care for them. The virus spreads easily through contact, and stigma is high. So, we have to be twice as careful and three times as thorough.
I will be honest, some days are hard. There was a time during my shift when a patient passed away. It hit me hard. After the nurses left, it was my job to disinfect the body and the entire room. That night, my shift went well past eight hours. “It was difficult, but someone had to do it. I kept reminding myself that if it was my own brother, I would want someone to take care of him with dignity.”
It was difficult, but someone had to do it. I kept reminding myself that if it was my own brother, I would want someone to take care of him with dignity.Mwachiro Ngala Mangale, MSF hygeinist
You might wonder why someone like me does this, when it’s risky, intense, and often thankless. The answer is simple: passion. I feel called to serve. This is my community, these are my people. If I don’t step up, who will?
Sometimes when I am in the red zone and not actively disinfecting, I spend time with the patients. We talk, joke, even share stories. They are lonely, and some are scared. MPOX isolates you, physically and emotionally. I try to be a reminder that they are still human, still part of us. I always say, “Today it’s them, tomorrow it could be my neighbour, my cousin, even me.” No one chooses to get sick.
I am not a doctor or a nurse. I don’t give injections or write prescriptions. But I believe my role is just as important. I create the space where healing can safely happen. I help reduce fear, even just a little.
I know many people don’t see hygienists. We are in the background. But that’s okay. As long as the patients sees me as someone who cares, who is not afraid to be close when others step back then I know I am exactly where I need to be.
And that’s more than enough!
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About MSF in Mombasa
MSF team in Mombasa is working in partnership with the Mombasa County Department of Health to ensure free, timely, and quality medical care for Mpox patients at Utange Field Hospital isolation center, a subsidiary of the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital and the only Mpox isolation facility in the county. MSF efforts focus on early diagnosis, effective treatment, and continuous monitoring of patients. In collaboration with the Mombasa County Department of Health, we are also working to strengthen infection prevention measures, improve case management protocols, and support the introduction of Mpox vaccination for high-risk groups. Earlier in April during the initial surge MSF trained 70 community health workers and sensitizing 1,000 sex workers on Mpox recognition and referral .
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