Blood Infection in Children (Sepsis)
Written by: Muhammad Arif Rahimi
Blood infection or sepsis, is the leading cause of death among children all around the world every year. It is a condition when the immune system overreacts to such an extent that it affects the organs causing fatality.
AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some parents and two physicians about this disease.
A mother says, “This is the sixth day that my baby has been hospitalized. She cannot breastfeed; she breathes faster, her lips are blue and the doctor diagnoses sepsis.”
Saliha, a resident of Kabul city says, “My baby is about one year and three month old. She is suffering from high fever and she cannot breastfeed and she is always dizzy,”
An internist, Doctor Fazil Stanikzai says, “Sepsis has four main symptoms: high fever; faster breathing; increase of heart beat and cannot breastfeed. Sometimes the children might suffer from diarrhea. In the beginning of the disease, the babies might cry and if the disease progresses and parents do not treat, the infection might transmit into brain babies might infect with meningitis or might cause the failure of kidneys and leads the patients to death.”
What do some people think about the causes of this disease?
Saliha says, “My baby was eating too much foods and it caused her sepsis.”
Farzana says, “If parents do not take care of their babies hygiene; cleanliness of their food, the infection might inter into their bodies and they might suffer from sepsis.”
Doctor Stanakzai says, “If any kind viruses, parasites, microbes, bacteria and funguses enter to the body of a baby, they can reach to the blood and infect the blood. If some mothers suffer from a disease, their fetus might infect. Home delivery also causes sepsis due to not considering hygiene as well as contaminated foods and water and some infectious diseases like diarrhea, amoeba and pneumonia could also cause blood infection in children.”
How do some parents prevent their babies from sepsis?
A mother says, “When my baby suffered from fever, I took her immediately to the hospital and the doctor hospitalized and treated her and now she is better.”
Farzana says, “I am the mother of 7 children I have delivered all of them in the maternity home. I consider the health tips that the doctor advises and none of them has faced sepsis and other diseases yet.”
Doctor Stanakzai says, “If mother gives birth to a baby in the hospital; parents take care of their children hygiene and avoid them from eating contaminated foods and water; breastfeed them untill six months; apply the childhood vaccinations; treat them their minor diseases on time, they might be saved from any kind of diseases including sepsis.”