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Acute cough epidemic kills three children in Hajja
The acute cough epidemic has also killed two other children in Al-Khamisin district of Hajja governorate, and almost 30 others are still afflicted.
“Before the death of my little girl Suad, she was suffering from an undiagnosed disease. However, the symptoms of the disease were clear to me. It was an acute cough, with fast breathing, and frequent fainting,” Hajeni said
He explained that he took his daughter to the Hajjah’s hospital in order to save her life. Doctors at the hospital told him that that Suad had inflammation in her chest.
“They could not diagnose the disease and they didn’t give her the appropriate medications,” he added.
Hajeni remained wary of his daughter’s case until he lost her two weeks ago.
Hajeni’s daughter Suad was the first child in the village of Beit Aqeeli in Hajja’s Al-Khamisin district to die due to acute cough.
Several days later, the epidemic spread further among children in the village.
Hajeni says that in the same week, the epidemic killed Suad, Abdu Elah Mohammad Ibrahim Ghalib, eight months old, and Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Ghalib, three months old.
All the dead children had the same symptoms, according to Hajeni.
Hadi added that over the past two weeks the number of acute cough cases has reached 30.
He affirmed that the most of the afflicted children are under the age of two.
Abdulrahman Al-Madani, a nurse at Al-Maghsal Medical Center in the village of Aqeeli, said that the children who died never received proper treatment from Al-Maghsal due to the lack of necessary medications.
He explained that the reason for the spread of acute cough was due to a dust storm that hit the region several weeks ago.
He said that Al-Maghsal Medical Center informed the Ministry of Health office in Al-Khamisain District well after the epidemic had already spread among children.
But the medical team from the Ministry of Health came late to the affected area. They arrived only four days ago and distributed medications for children, according to Al-Madani.
The team helped more than 15 afflicted children recover and decreased the number of potential deaths resulting from the epidemic.
“No child has died since the distribution of medication began,” he added.
Hajeni he claimed that though the team distributes antibiotics to the infected children, they don’t apply medical tests.
For his part, Adel Al-Muayad, director of the Ministry of Health office in Hajja, said that they responded after being informed about the deaths of children in the village.
He added that they sent a medical team immediately to the village. The team arrived in the district four days ago. They found that three-month child, Mohammad Ibrahim Mohammad Ghalib, died earlier this week, according to the health official in the governorate.
He explained that what struck the village is indeed acute cough. He stressed that the medical team distributed medications to the nearly 30 infected children with this infection.
“We are completely controlling this epidemic”, he said.
