Mohammad*, who is four-and-a-half, came to the hospital a week after developing a measles rash. He had encephalitis, one of the rare post-measles complications. His symptoms included a fever, disorientation and weakness in the lower body.
Mohammad spent 15 days in the hospital, after which his symptoms resolved gradually and he could walk once again. Seeing patients improve and help relieve their suffering gives me such a feeling of usefulness.
Yet there are limitations to what we can do when patients arrive at our hospital late in their sickness. I will never forget Abdallah*, aged two-and-a-half, who was admitted to the measles unit at 7.30 pm one evening. He arrived with a rash, a fever and huge ulcers around his mouth and lips. We suspected he had contracted diphtheria on top of his measles infection.
By 11.30 pm, Abdallah was increasingly distressed and could not breathe well. At 12.30 am, he started to show signs of septic shock. We were preparing to transfer him to a governmental hospital where they treat diphtheria, but we worried that his body would not be able to handle the two-hour drive to get there.
Fonte original msf.org
