This morning we reported some hopeful news about the desperately poor country of Malawi, where childhood mortality is incredibly high but being slashed. It's still too high. Way, way too high. And in response I found this very sad post from another blogger, this one a doc now in rural Canada, but once in Malawi:
The good: Malawi made a top ten list.
The bad: It was top ten child mortality, in the world.
The good: Malawi is doing something to change that.
In 2000, under five mortality was 225 per 1000. Tireless work by various groups have more than halved this number and today the under five mortality rate is 100 per 1000 live births.
That’s still too high. In the USA, it’s 11, and in Canada it’s 6.
I loved and hated Malawi.
I remember when my good friend Mai Chingwe was pregnant with her second baby. I wasn’t allowed to discuss the pregnancy with her. She wasn’t allowed to prepare a room. She didn’t buy or make any clothes for the coming baby.
She had prenatal visits with ultrasound scans, but didn’t come home all gleeful and want to chat about her baby’s heartbeat and fingers and toes.
She went into labour and delivered without incident. Nobody told me or anyone else, I found out by coming to visit. He was a beautiful healthy baby boy. I wasn’t able to hold him. He didn’t have a name. She and her husband wouldn’t choose one
When the baby was one month old, they named him Emmanuel.
Mai Chingwe explained to me that so many babies die before one month, they don’t celebrate in her culture until they make it to that point. They can’t accept a baby as present until it survives a month. She let me hold him. He was gorgeous.
Emmanuel died of diarrhea three weeks later.
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Thank you for the link, Revere.
Oh, child.
I don't recall Revere blogging about this study. Have you heard about it?
Swine Flu Could Cause More Serious Lung Infections
"New research demonstrates that the swine flu (H1N1) has the ability to bind deeper into the lungs than regular seasonal flu, identifying a keep mechanism that may make this flu a significant problem for many people."
Jeff: I've read the paper. The science is much more complex than being reported in the news clips but I'm occupied with the David Michaels matter (see post today) so not sure when I'll get to it. I'd like to write about it because it is scientifically very interesting, although its practical importance is unknown at the moment.
Thanks revere. Your post reminded me of Emmanuel, and of why I chose medicine. I didn't want to hijack your thread with personal stories.