Find us on:
Australians supporting the UN Refugee Agency
Displaying page 2 of 3«123»
Mariam's temperature was 38°C on arrival at the health centre. The doctor suspected malaria.
Early on April 1, 2008, seven-month-old Mariam was carried into the health centre in the Breding Refugee Camp in eastern Chad. The baby girl had had diarrhoea and vomiting for nearly a week by this time. During the night, she had suddenly developed a high fever. Having no transport and observing the region's strict night curfew, her parents, both refugees from Sudan's Darfur region, waited until dawn before walking two kilometres to the refugee health centre, carrying the feverish child in their arms. Mariam's temperature was 38°C on arrival and the doctor, suspecting malaria, immediately ran a Paracheck test using a few drops of blood from her finger. It was positive.
The staff immediately began treatment for cerebral malaria. By the next morning, the baby girl's condition was much improved. Her temperature was nearly normal, the diarrhoea had ceased and her vomiting was only occasional. She even managed a tiny smile for her mother, waiting anxiously on the sleeping mat beside her.
Mariam was fortunate to survive her malaria infection. Young children can succumb very quickly once the fever sets in and any delay in seeking treatment can have tragic results. Informing the refugee community of the urgency of seeking help is a priority for UNHCR in Chad, a country where malaria claims the lives of thousands of young children every year.
Almost two-thirds of refugees are affected by malaria, and some 930,000 are infected every year. Yet malaria is easily prevented and if detected early, is simple to cure. UNHCR's aims to prevent and treat malaria among refugees through its Stamp Out Malaria Program and works across three key areas to educate affected populations, prevent transmission, and ensure early diagnosis and prompt treatment with safe and effective drugs.
