C.T is a 5 month old baby who came to clinic with his mom for an abscess on his neck. We do not know what led to the development of this abscess. But as you can see from the picture below, it was causing quite a bit of discomfort. The patient was not sleeping at night and was refusing to eat. He was started on antibiotics and the abscess was drained in the dressing room (chanm pansman) which serves as the clinic wound care center. The abscess cavity was packed with sterile packing and the patient has come back each day to change the packing and place a new dressing over the area. He is now eating well and sleeping.

The dressing room is open 24/7 and it is staffed by Haitian nurses. All sorts of wounds are treated in this center- abscess, ulcers, diabetic foot wounds, cuts, bites, post op wounds, other skin infections, etc. They also provide wound care for children in the inpatient malnutrition center as needed in addition to placing IVs and nasogastric tubes. They help monitor kids in the malnutrition center 24/7. These nurses do a fantastic job!