Yusba Y., 11

Yusba Yakuba is a six year old boy from a rural farming community where access to clean water, proper sanitation, and healthcare is extremely limited. He lives with his parents and siblings in a small settlement where most families rely on unprotected wells and streams for drinking water. He is an active child who helped his parents with small tasks around the farm. For three weeks, Yusba suffered from recurrent high fever, abdominal pain, poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea. His mother treated him with paracetamol and local herbal mixtures, but nothing helped. Upon presentation at Adari on May 12th, Yusba was critically ill - lying motionless on the examination table with a distended and rigid abdomen, unable to sit up or even cry from pain. His parents were terrified and anxious. He was evaluated and diagnosed with Bowel Perforation and Septic Shock.

Upon admission, Yusba was started on intravenous ceftriaxone, metronidazole, and aggressive fluid therapy, with supportive care including a nasogastric tube and urinary catheter. Although emergency surgery was advised, his father declined despite repeated counseling. Helpster Charity offered full financial support, covering all treatment costs and removing the burden on the family. Encouragingly, with ongoing medical care, Yusba has shown gradual improvement in the hospital. He appears more responsive, more comfortable, and has started feeling better even without surgery. While his condition remains serious and closely monitored, there is renewed hope for recovery, and the family is grateful to Helpster Charity.

Dr. Zainab M. Ngubdo concluded that Yusba presents with a three-week history of fever, abdominal pain, poor appetite, weight loss, vomiting, and diarrhea, now with a distended, rigid abdomen, strongly suggestive of typhoid intestinal perforation with secondary peritonitis. This is a life-threatening surgical emergency requiring immediate IV fluids, broad-spectrum antibiotics, and urgent exploratory laparotomy to repair the perforation and wash out infection. Prognosis is guarded, but survival is possible with prompt surgery, though delayed presentation increases mortality significantly. Without surgical intervention, the condition is rapidly fatal. Urgent counseling is needed to obtain consent and proceed with life-saving treatment.