Sad news about Jesica.

 

Jesica came in Amecet on September 28. She was brought by the police, her mother has a mental problem and the baby was in danger, according to the police. They made radio announcements in the hope that some relatives would turn up. But until today, nothing happened. The mother is lost, they have been looking out for her, but it seems that she left Soroti. We have been treating Jesica for malaria and she is doing well. We don´t know anything about Jesica, we don´t know her age, we gave her a name. I don´t know if she has been immunized, at first I waited, because I had hopes that the relatives would show up, but now, we have to take action. So we took her today for a HIV rapid test, and the results were so sad, she reacted HIV+!! That was a disappointment, so tomorrow we take her for the DNA test, maybe the positive results came from the antibodies of the mother. In Uganda they have a good programme for HIV+ mothers with their babies. The babies are directly put on an ARV after birth, until they have tested them. If they come out HIV+, they will be put in ARVs and if the test comes out negative, they stop the medicines. I don´t think that Jesica has received any medicines, knowing where she comes from, so I am concerned for this beautiful little girl.

 

Then we had another problem yesterday. The grandparents of one of the babies came to pick her. I was supprised, normally we have to call and call if the family can come and pick their baby. The baby was with us for almost two months, and she is doing good, so she could go home. But in our papers was written that the father would take her. We talked with the grandparents and they said that the father was also coming. So we waited, when the father came, they held their meeting on our veranda, in total they were with 6 people and they didn´t agree. the father wanted to take the baby home, but the grandparents (the parents of the mother who had passed away) wanted the baby also, as a rememberance of their daughter. There was a lot of discussion, Simon and Elias were also among them and then they agreed all that the baby would go to the father, his first wife would care for her (the late mother of the baby was the second wife of the father). So the father will come back for his daughter, together with his first wife and a letter from his local counsellor.  

 

The little baby who was born in the prison, (see last blog) is not doing so well, he doesn´t want to drink, we had to give him a NG tube, when he doesn´t drink enough, we can give him extra through the tube. And today we got a new baby of 3 weeks old, a beautiful little boy. His mother died 2 days ago of hepatitis. So our days are busy and we don´t get bored!!