Susan C., 17

Chebet, a Form Two student, dropped out of a nearby local day school due to financial difficulties and unstable parenting. Her parents’ relationship has been marked by frequent separations and reunions, largely caused by poverty and alcoholism. As a result, the children have been left to fend for themselves, struggling to meet basic needs and pay for school. Chebet and her family live in a modest home made of mud walls and rusted iron sheets. They rely on firewood for cooking and lighting, and use water from a nearby stream for drinking. Over the past week and a few days, Chebet began feeling unwell. She experienced fever, vomiting, joint pain, headaches, and loss of appetite. Due to lack of funds and the fact that she is pregnant—making it difficult for her to walk long distances—she resorted to over-the-counter painkillers rather than visiting a health facility. Fortunately, community health promoters came across her during a village surveillance exercise and informed her about Helpster Charity and its support services available at Mt. Elgon Sub-County Hospital. She was diagnosed with severe malaria and anaemia in pregnancy.

On 15th Chebet visited the facility when was pregnant and having complains of joints pain, vomiting, headache and loss of appetite investigation were done and was diagnosed with severe malaria that leads to admission for treatment and management while on the process of treatment on 17th she delivered a life baby wt 3.2kg and continued with the treatment until both the baby and mother are stable and discharged.

Malaria in pregnancy is fatal and very dangerous which causes severe anemia, premature birth,low birth weight and miscarriage, is a very risk to the life of mother and unborn infant that can cause baby to be admitted to NBU, or even infant can have life complications if left untreated. Upon earlier intervention for chebet and given antimalarial drugs and other management that were done with immediate effects, impact her having safe delivery otherwise could have been resulted to some complications if on late intervention.