diarrhea

A Busy Month

By Afia Afroze on 8.8.12

I was unable to make home visits while I was on maternity leave, but now I am fully back to work and very busy! Last month I visited 18 households, treated two children with pneumonia, one child with diarrhea and four children with coughs and colds. I weighed 22 children and counseled their mothers about good nutrition. I also assisted a government health worker who came to our village. We went door-to-door searching for children who had not yet received the polio vaccine. I have started serving families in other villages too.

Salif treated 10-month-old Fidele Keita for a bad cough and diarrhea in Mali.

A Tough Time of Year for Children

By Salif Diarra on 3.20.12

We are in the cool season in Mali now. It’s a difficult time for children. A lot of them get sick this time of year. I treated three children for pneumonia last month. Luckily none of the cases were severe, so I was able to provide care here in the village and the parents did not have to take their children to the hospital. I also saw two cases of diarrhea. And three babies were born – two boys and a girl.

We’re All in the Same Boat When it Comes to Parenting

By Salif Diarra on 3.6.12

This month, it was my turn to be a concerned parent. My son, Adama, is only 3 years old. And at 10 p.m. one night, he started vomiting profusely. Then he had diarrhea. This went on and on until 5 a.m. Adama always insists on sleeping in my bed, so I cared for him as best I could during those frightening hours. My wife and I couldn’t bring him to the local health center immediately, because it isn’t open at night.

7 month old Yasmin and mom smiling for a photo

Too Much Medicine

By Afia Afroze on 2.28.12

Yasin is 7 months old. Until a month ago he was healthy, but when his mother started adding food to his diet, in addition to breast milk, Yasin got diarrhea. His mother, Mahfuza, didn’t know what to do so she went to the local pharmacy. They prescribed three types of medicine. I ran into Mahfuza when she was on her way back from the pharmacy. I could see right away that Yasin was not well so I asked a few questions. I explained to Mahfuza that her son was in the early stages of diarrhea.

Good Sanitation Equals Good Health

By Chisomo Boxer on 2.24.12

Part of my job is to ensure that the villages are clean and so I regularly do inspections. In the course of this exercise, I noticed that people do not really take the issue of sanitation seriously. Jonasi village is very hilly and there is no potable water so people drink from the rivers. During rainy season, all the rubbish goes into the same rivers.