World · Daily Terminal
Pediatrician Rupa Narra of Doctors Without Borders discusses the challenges of treating children with Ebola, noting their high fatality rate. She describes an Ebola isolation ward in Butembo, eastern Congo, which is full with 15 beds for patients awaiting test results and another 15 for confirmed Ebola cases. Two young children under one year old are critically ill.
Narra, a pediatrician from Ohio, works there for Doctors Without Borders. She highlights the difficulty of comforting children in isolation, as they cannot be distracted with toys or held due to safety protocols. She suits up in full hazmat gear before each visit, which often scares young patients.
One child, a 5-year-old who loved Bollywood movies, was comforted by her father playing songs from 'Desi Boyz' on a smartphone. Narra, who grew up in India, later performed a Bollywood dance through the window to cheer the child up. She notes that there is no approved cure for this Ebola strain, and supportive care is the only option, including IV fluids, oxygen, and glucose treatment.
Narra previously worked in West Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, where 11,000 people died. She also mentions the challenges of caring for newborns without family members or immune caregivers. A newborn who tested positive for Ebola survived for 10 days with the help of an Ebola survivor acting as a caregiver.
Narra expresses concern that many more children may die from the virus.
Source: NPR
