“Without the doctors' intervention, my baby would have died”
In the Afar region of Ethiopia, UNICEF and the European Union are providing lifesaving services to malnourished children.
In Awash, where we meet her, Aynalem Addis proudly introduces us to her latest child, a two-month-old boy, Kassahun Solomon. Yet, this mother of 3 knows that she has avoided the worst. A few weeks ago, her son's life was threatened.
"My son was very tired because of the very high temperatures, and he was gradually losing his appetite, so I couldn't breastfeed him anymore,” recalls Aynalem. “So, with my husband, we took advantage of a vaccination campaign in town to bring my son to be vaccinated and examined. When we arrived, the nurse examined him and immediately referred us to the nearest hospital."
UNICEF-supported integrated immunisation campaigns are crucial to ensuring the health of children, particularly in rural areas. In addition to receiving life-saving vaccines that will protect them against preventable diseases, they enable cases of malnutrition to be detected and treated, or referred to hospital in the worst cases.
"On arrival at the hospital, the doctor immediately confirmed the diagnosis," says Aynalem. "He told me that my son was severely malnourished and that, due to the complications, they would have to hospitalise him immediately. I was very worried."
UNICEF, with thanks to the support of the European Union, provides lifesaving assistance to children suffering from acute malnutrition, by providing them with care and appropriate medication such as therapeutic milk or ready-to-use-therapeutic food (RUTF).
"They immediately started the treatment with therapeutic milk,” recalls Aynalem. “Thanks to this, he quickly regained his energy and appetite. After 18 days, they told me that his condition was stable and that I could go home as long as I breastfed him exclusively".
Exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for all children under 6 months. In addition to containing everything a baby needs to grow up healthy, it helps avoid the ingestion of unsafe water and contaminated food, which can lead to severe diarrhoea, dehydration and, ultimately, severe malnutrition.
"I'm very happy that my son is getting better and I'm grateful for the good treatment and care he received," concludes Aynalem. "Without the doctors' intervention, my baby would have died. But, thank God, he's much better now!”
