In Haiti the current rate of COVID-19 cases is high, only further contributing to unrest on the island. This also means that the situation of malnutrition has and will continue to become more complicated. MFK and its local clinical partners are continuing to work every day to provide education to parents to prevent COVID-19 through keeping social distance, wearing masks, and washing hands while still treating malnutrition.
This month two twins recovered from malnutrition; Fransline and Franslin. The twins are 17 months old and living in Chabanon, a small community of Limonade close to the sea which is named Bord de mer de Limonade (Seaside Limonade), approximately twenty minutes from the MFK factory. The main resources in this zone are bananas, sugar cane, mangos, and beautiful peach trees. Unfortunately, it is still one of the zones where the malnutrition levels are the highest. Every month, MFK works with clinic partner Flamboyant to enroll more than fifty new children in the malnutrition program.
Fransline and Franslin are the youngest in a family of five children. Their father Francique is a fisherman with a small income, while their mother, Germaine, stays at home to take care of the whole family. During her pregnancy, Germaine had visited a doctor at Limonade health clinic to have control of her babies but she planned to deliver at home. Franslin was born at home, while Fransline was born at Justinian Hospital. The twins were breastfed for the first month and were able to receive their complete vaccine doses.
At 8 months old, the babies became sick and developed diarrhea, fever, and low appetite. Germaine went with them to the Flamboyant community clinic, where they were screened for severe acute malnutrition. After one week of starting their Medika Mamba treatment, their health situation became more complicated, so the nurse referred them to Justinian Hospital for better medical assistance. There they spent 14 days in a USN room.
Fransline and Franslin were discharged from Justinian Hospital and then returned to the Flamboyant malnutrition program after 14 days. They spent an additional 8 weeks there and continued to receive malnutrition treatment while their mother received health and nutrition education. The twins then went on to graduate at a healthy weight.
Germaine was very excited to explain her joy and gratitude to MFK for this excellent donation, hoping that the malnutrition level decreases in Chabanon and Bord de Mer Limonade. "I am very happy that my babies have recovered and that they will be able to walk and grow up healthier thanks to MFK and Medika Mamba. I now know how to feed my kids to prevent malnutrition, rules of hygiene, and treat the water." Added Germaine.
