Eleazar K., 1

Eleazar was born prematurely with a very low birth weight of 1,410 g, placing him at high risk of breathing difficulties, infection, poor temperature control, feeding problems, and slow growth. He comes from a financially vulnerable family that lives in a two-room mud house. His grandmother, the sole breadwinner, earns about KSh 2,500 per month as a school cook, making it difficult to meet the family's basic needs. Shortly after birth, Eleazar developed severe malaria, a serious bloodstream infection, and a bacterial skin infection. Because of his extremely low birth weight, he required very close monitoring in the Newborn Unit for 35 days. He initially needed Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), a machine that gently pushes air into the lungs to keep them open and improve breathing. He was fed NAN formula through an orogastric tube (OGT) because he was too weak to feed normally, before gradually transitioning to mixed feeding as he improved. During admission, his platelet count dropped to dangerously low levels, increasing his risk of bleeding, and he received a platelet transfusion to reduce this risk.

Eleazar was critically ill because of his very low birth weight, severe malaria, sepsis, thrombocytopenia, and bacterial skin infection. His prolonged 35-day stay in the Newborn Unit, need for CPAP, platelet transfusion, tube feeding, and intensive monitoring were appropriate and lifesaving. His prognosis is good because he responded well to treatment and was discharged in a stable condition. However, owing to his prematurity and very low birth weight, he requires regular follow-up to monitor growth, nutrition, neurodevelopment, vision, hearing, and to promptly identify any late complications.