Leon O., 1

Leon is a cheerful baby boy. His mother, a nineteen-year-old woman and high school dropout, found herself in a predicament one evening. At eight PM, a hospital employee noticed her, Leon and her second child, next to our hospital; they were stranded and Leon was severely ill. Uncertain and hesitant, she wondered whether to enter the hospital, concerned about whether they would receive assistance given her lack of funds. Leon had been showing symptoms for five days, including a fever, vomiting during breastfeeding, a runny nose, blocked nostrils, coughing, and sneezing.

The patient was brought to the facility with a persistent, productive cough that had been worsening over time. This was accompanied by chest pain described as pricking in nature, fever, rapid breathing, and wheezing sounds when exhaling, as reported by the mother. Additionally, the patient had a history of a runny nose, nasal congestion, and night sweats, though no weight loss was observed. After evaluation, the patient was diagnosed with pneumonia and nasopharyngitis (common cold). Pneumonia is a serious illness, especially in children under five, and if left untreated, it can lead to severe complications such as respiratory distress, which can be life-threatening. The prescribed treatment included antibiotics—specifically Augmentin, a combination of Amoxicillin (a penicillin that prevents bacterial growth) and Clavulanic acid (which prevents bacteria from breaking down Amoxicillin). Nasopharyngitis was treated with antihistamines to alleviate allergy-related symptoms, while Paracetamol was administered to reduce fever. Since the patient was able to tolerate oral medication, all prescribed treatments were continued at home. A follow-up call to his mother a few days after discharge confirmed that Leon was recovering well.

Pneumonia should be treated with antibiotics. If left untreated, pneumonia may lead to the permanent lung damage, respiratory failure, septicaemia (infection entering blood stream and causing sepsis), pleural effusion (accumulation of fluid in the space between the lung and chest wall, which can make breathing difficult), and other life-threatening complications.