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PLAYING WITH FIRE

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  “Doctor Gloria, I have bad news for you this morning. I am afraid we lost the child we referred yesterday”. The paediatric nurse said. For a few seconds, I was speechless. When I finally found my voice, I asked, “How is the mother?”. “I am told she is devastated.” She answered. I had to say a silent prayer for the parents. To lose a child who had been so well to a preventable condition is one of the most difficult things to deal with in life. This child was admitted to the hospital I work in with burn wounds. When I saw how extensive the injury was, I asked that we quickly stabilise and refer her to a tertiary centre where she could have access to a specialised unit for burns and health professionals who could properly manage her. The problem with extensive burns is that on a continent that is still battling with lots of infections, the risk of dying is very high even when the best care is given. The skin provides a barrier that prevents harmful organisms from getting int...
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BE THAT HAND

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  She would come for review with her 4-year-old son firmly strapped to her back. The boy was heavy but how could she allow him to walk beside her? He would be all over the place and they would get stares. She  couldn’t afford a wheelchair that could keep the child strapped and restrained. I wondered what the journey on the commercial vehicle was like. He had been diagnosed with Autism, Epilepsy and had symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder  (ADHD) . He was not speaking yet and had no friends. Not all his medications were covered by the national health insurance scheme, and some were costly. In a country where the few inclusive schools and rehabilitation centres are mostly found in the cities and are not free, the future looked gloomy for him. His mother didn’t have a stable job. She was the one caring for him, so it was not feasible for her to look for a well-paying job that would require her to be away from him. I remember speaking to the father of ...
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WHY DOES MY BABY CRY A LOT, PASS MUCH GAS AND KEEP STRETCHING?

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  Many parents get worried when their babies cry excessively. Excessive crying in babies could be due to several things. For example, wet diapers, pain from an insect bite or injury, unwellness, hunger, thirst, etc. Sometimes, babies cry and pass out a lot of gas while stretching. They may even refuse breast milk. And parents are often left worried, not knowing what to do. These babies most likely have  infantile colic , a disturbance in the gastrointestinal tract or the gut. What causes infantile colic? The exact cause is largely unknown. Colonic fermentation, which is the breakdown of carbohydrates into fatty acids and other metabolites in the large intestine by anaerobic bacteria has been proposed as a cause. During this fermentation process, gases are produced. Excess gas in the infant's immature gut can cause much discomfort. Colic is also thought to be associated with excessive swallowing of air when the baby is feeding. Some studies also suggest that psychoso...
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