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CAR: “It is painful to see my children suffer like this”

25 Sep 2014
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Central African Republic
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It is the rainy season in the Central African Republic (CAR) and with the rains comes a peak in malaria cases. Malaria is the number one killer of young children in the country which is experiencing a chronic health crisis aggravated by the recent conflict and violence

Nine-year-old Ketura is lying on a plastic covered mattress. Her eyes are half open, she is breathing rapidly and her mother has soaked her clothes in cold water to bring down her temperature, which is close to 41°C. 

Ketura has been ill for a week now and all the signs of severe malaria are there. The Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) staff member checks Ketura’s temperature every 30 minutes. Ketura has been started on malaria treatment and been given other medicines to reduce the fever.  

On the bed with Ketura is her little sister, Oceane, who also has malaria, but whose temperature is not as high. Four other children are lying nearby. 

Malaria almost unavoidable  

This small room in MSF’s PK5 neighbourhood clinic is where children remain under observation. They are too weak to return home immediately after they have seen an MSF nurse and received treatment. 

“Even when the children sleep under a mosquito net it is not possible to avoid malaria”, says Corine, Ketura and Oceane’s mother. “During these months, I almost always have at least one child who has malaria, and it is painful to see my children suffer like this.” 

It’s Saturday morning and many other worried parents have brought their children to the clinic. They look on silently as MSF staff perform a quick blood test on each child to determine if they do, indeed, have malaria.

Those children that test positive for malaria are then weighed to calculate the correct dose of medicine needed. A nurse also checks for other illnesses such as respiratory infections, which are common in young children in CAR. 

Free and accessible treatment

“Normally, buying treatment for malaria for one of my children would cost me 5000 CFA (close to 8 euros). That is money I do not have, especially not when the children get sick over and over again. This is the fourth time I am here at the MSF clinic,” says Corine, who is also mother to three other children who have stayed at home this time. 

Only last week, 800 children were seen and treated at the clinic.

Outside Bangui medical care can be difficult to come by. MSF staff in hospitals and clinics around the country are sometimes the only ones who can offer quality healthcare that is free of charge. MSF is currently treating thousands of children each month, many of whom would otherwise be at a risk of death.

Challenges to recovery

“For children under five, receiving treatment in time is especially important as they have not developed any antibodies”, explains Dr Papy Nimbata, a doctor working in MSF's clinic in the PK5 neighbourhood.

When we meet him, he is examining an 11-year-old-boy called Julio who has a temperature of 40.8°C. Julio is not only suffering from severe malaria, but also has pneumonia and anaemia. He is extremely thin and weighs only 23kg. His mother explains that the family has little money and there are six children to feed.

More often than not, they will only eat once a day.       

Julio, Ketura and Oceane are all discharged once their temperatures have dropped, and are sent home with the medication they need.

These children and their parents are the lucky ones. 

MSF in the Central African Republic

MSF has worked in the Central African Republic since 1997 and there are currently 300 international and more than 2,000 Central African staff members working in the country.

Since December 2013, MSF has increased its medical assistance in response to the ongoing crisis., The number of projects has risen from 10 to 21.

MSF is also running an additional six emergency projects for Central African refugees in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Find out more about MSF's work in the Central African Republic