May camp report 2008

Early May saw the completion of our joint surgical camp. Three further camps were held at Olota, Ekogbene and Esama. May has been a busy month with donation of a 4x4 truck for our work and the arrival of equipment from Asaba donated by the State Department for Primary Care.

The advantage of a permanent clinic was well demonstrated one evening last month.

This tenanted farmer was brought late one evening by his landlord from across the river,

the man having been injured by a falling bamboo shaft whilst using a machete in the bush.

The bamboo shaft had torn his eyelid and narrowly missed his eyeball. Within 24 hrs the

area had become swollen and infected. Too late for suturing the wound was dressed, antibiotics given and review set. He recovered well. Small fry one may think, but it is these small

untreated injuries that proceed to life-threatening sepsis, as illustrated by a boy who died from

an untreated burn, that developed gas gangrene, seen on a previous camp.

Besides Clinic attendance 238 patients were seen across Olota, Ekogbene and Esama communities. As mentioned last month communication with villages in the inner creeks is difficult and it was disappointing to see so many surgical and eye cases at Olota this month, that despite our best efforts had not been aware of the cataract and hernia camp going on at Enekorogha.

Malaria cases were many and for the first time we exhausted the supplies of Artusenate

treatments donated by the government. Having not visited in the past month it was noticeable that incidence of infectious disease had risen. The below photos show a Health Care Worker demonstrating to a mother how to take medication, the other a bad case of a fungal skin infection, very common in children.