Nyla T., 1

Nyla is a one-month-old girl, the firstborn in her family. She lives with her mother, and shares the same house with her grandmother. Nyla’s mother is a single parent with no source of income, while her grandmother is the family’s sole provider, relying entirely on small-scale farming to meet the household’s basic needs. As a result, the family often struggles to make ends meet and lives from day to day with very limited resources. Nyla’s grandmother learned about Helpster Charity through a community health talk held at a nearby church, where families were informed about organizations that support sick and underprivileged children. She later saw a poster at the local shopping centre indicating that Helpster Charity works in collaboration with Helmi Jonas health centre to assist vulnerable children who require urgent medical care. Remembering this information when Nyla’s condition worsened, the family decided to bring her to the hospital for evaluation and support. According to the mother, Nyla had been experiencing fever, a harsh cough that sometimes led to vomiting, difficulty in breathing, excessive sweating, and a runny nose for about six days. She also had one episode of convulsions and had been breastfeeding poorly. Due to the persistence and severity of these symptoms, Nyla was brought to the hospital for urgent assessment and treatment. A blood slide for malaria parasites was performed and returned positive. She was subsequently diagnosed with severe malaria, severe pneumonia, and septicemia.

Upon admission, Nyla was started on intravenous fluids, IV X-penicillin, IV gentamycin, IV artesunate, as well as oral medications including Piriton syrup and paracetamol. By the following morning, Nyla had noticeably improved; her mother reported that she no longer had sweats, her fever had reduced, and she was able to feed well, all thanks to the medications administered to support her recovery. After four days of close monitoring and treatment, Nyla was discharged home on oral medications.

Following prompt diagnosis and initiation of appropriate treatment for severe malaria, severe pneumonia, and septicemia, Nyla’s prognosis is guarded but hopeful. Given her very young age and the severity of the conditions, she is at high risk for complications; however, with timely administration of antimalarial therapy, intravenous antibiotics, supportive care , and improved feeding support, the likelihood of recovery is significantly improved.