A Child With a Serious Respiratory Infection

Daouda is 10 months old. Both of his parents are from Satiguila village, and they have three children: a girl and two boys, including Daouda. The parents – Adama and Sata – are very responsible. They have used family planning, so their children’s births were evenly spaced. Sata gave birth to all three children at the health center, and she makes sure her children have regular check ups with the local doctor.

Last month, for the first time in his young life, Daouda fell ill. He started to behave strangely. He cried a lot, refused to eat, stopped playing and became apathetic about everything around him. At times he would become himself again, but then he would relapse into this strange state. Sata didn’t bring Daouda to me right away. She was very busy farming that week.

But after these symptoms had persisted for a while, she brought him to see me. I noted he had fever, a nasty cough and a runny nose. Also, his right ear contained puss. Daouda was very sick, so I told Sata she should take him to the community health center in Sido as soon as possible. She left immediately. The boy was hospitalized for four days.

After Daouda came home, I checked up on him and was glad to see his health had improved. I suggested a few things that could help prevent him from becoming sick again. Today, Daouda is in perfect health and is an active, playful little boy.