Darwens

Darwens is 18 months old. He came into clinic with his grandmother. His mother dropped him off at his father’s house this past December, and his grandmother is helping take care of him. She says he was small then, and has continued to lose weight. He had a cough and fever for four days, and diarrhea and vomiting for five days before coming in. His feet had been swelling for eight days, and the grandmother said his face looked like it was starting to swell. She brought him in because of the swelling. His father is married, and Darwens has two half-siblings. He can run and play. He doesn’t speak, but does respond to commands.

Ezechiel

Ezechiel is a 10-year-old boy who came into clinic malnourished. He came in with his mother who said he started having a sporadic fever and cough in March. Around this time, he started losing his appetite and losing weight. He has three siblings who have had similar symptoms, but he is the worst according to his mother. He can play and run, but he has never been able to speak normally. He and his mother have been to multiple mobile clinics and have been given malnutrition education, but he has never been treated for malnutrition before. His mother brought him in when he started swelling. She has lost two other children, one had severe swelling before they died.

Jude

Jude is 7 years old, and came in to clinic with swelling. His dad brought him in, and said he had been coughing for two weeks. He developed a painful mass in his neck five days before coming in. He had a good appetite, but was constipated and had vomited that morning. He had a fever for a couple days, but saw a village nurse who gave him a shot and pill, and the fever went away. He had worsening swelling over the past five days, and this is why his dad brought him in. His mother was at home with a headache. He has three siblings. One currently had diarrhea, and another had joint pain according to Jude’s dad. Jude can run and play and speak.

Marcnel (Michelot)

Marcnel goes by the name Michelot. He will be 2-years-old next month. His maternal uncle brought him in with malnutrition and edema. Michelot’s mother died within a month of his birth. The uncle isn’t sure why she died, but she had swelling in her legs. Michelot’s father is said to be sick, but the uncle knows very little about him. So, Michelot’s uncle has been taking care of him since his mother died. Michelot began swelling and losing his appetite two weeks before he came in, and had been occasionally vomiting and having diarrhea. He stopped walking when he got sick, and does not speak. He, his uncle, and his cousin live together in a clay house.

Medgine

Medgine is 10 months old. She was referred to us from Children’s Health Ministries with malnutrition and edema because she refused to eat mamba. She came in with her mother who said she began losing her appetite three months ago. She also frequently had a fever, but Medgine’s grandmother told her mother she was just teething. No one else at home was sick, and she never had diarrhea or a cough. Medgine was breast fed for the first three months of her life, but has been given flour water since. When pressed further why she hadn’t taken Medgine to a clinic sooner, she said that she hasn’t had any money for food. Medgine and her mother live with her grandmother, her mother’s two siblings, and perhaps other people. Her father is not involved in her care.