Persuading affected women to go for medical treatment

You should offer counselling to the woman and her family about the danger of maternal and fetal complications and the advantage of getting specialist medical treatment urgently. In cases of eclampsia, people in many parts of rural Ethiopia believe that convulsions/fits are related to an evil spirit. A pregnant woman who has had a fit in these cultures may not want to go to a health facility, because she may prefer to go to the holy water, to a priest or other religious leader, or to local healers. You have a very important role to make sure that the woman and her family understand that the fits are caused by the very high blood pressure she is experiencing. Reassure her that the convulsions will stop progressively after the baby is delivered.