Twenty-two-month-old Aftab Malha shivered as his temperature hit 102F.* Frequents bouts of fever alongside bloody diarrhea had made the once-animated toddler pale and lethargic, much to his mother’s dismay.
Hailing from Urs Malha, a remote village in Matiari, central Sindh, over 20 kilometres away from any healthcare facilities, Aftab’s parents had limited options. With five other children to care for, finding the means to take Aftab to a hospital in the nearest big city, Hyderabad, was a daunting task for his parents.
“Days passed but he did not get any better,” said Aftab’s mother. “My child was suffering, he wasn’t eating and there was nothing I could do to make him feel better. That’s when my brother-in-law got in touch with Ms Sadaf.”
Sadaf Jakhro is a research coordinator involved with AKU’s SEEM research project, a study that identifies causes of malnourishment in children in Pakistan and which young Aftab is a part of. Led by Dr Asad Ali, associate dean of research at AKU’s Medical College, the research will assess 3,000 samples from malnourished children to determine how a set of bacteria in the intestine can limit their growth potential and lower their immunity to disease.
In Matiari, the study has already assessed samples from 350 children with nutritional deficiencies. While the team tracks growth markers and the effectiveness of educational and nutritional interventions in young children, researchers also go beyond the call of duty by routinely monitoring the health of families registered with the project. “This is not part of the study,” explained Dr Ali. “It’s a service we provide to communities, where we help children with medical issues access tests and treatment.”
With Sadaf’s help, Aftab’s diarrhea went away but the fever persisted. There was something else at play which led to Dr Sahrish Memon, a physican on the SEEM team, visiting Aftab to test for malaria. She checked his hemoglobin count on the spot and was alarmed by the results. Not only did Aftab have malaria but his hemoglobin was at a life-threatening 2.8mg/dl – well below the guideline of 8.0mg/dl. A hemoglobin test checks the level of red blood cells, cells that deliver oxygen to the different parts of the body.
“We were told he needed to be admitted to a hospital immediately,” said his mother, adding that she initially refused the advice based on her experience of sick family members not receiving adequate care at a hospital. Field supervisor Dr Fayaz Umrani had to be called in, to speak to the family. He convinced Aftab’s parents of the urgent need to take him to hospital and assured them that the research team would cover the costs.
“He needed an urgent blood transfusion but the family remained unwilling to travel to the Aga Khan Hospital in Hyderabad, so we opted to treat him closer to home,” Dr Umrani explained.
A severely ill Aftab battled for his life at the Rizwan Medical Centre in Matiari. The emergency blood transfusion worked and Aftab’s hemoglobin count started climbing slowly with the fever subsiding. He returned home three days later and subsequent follow-ups by the AKU team in Urs Malha found that Aftab’s hemoglobin level was much better and that he was back to his usual, cheery self.
“Our boy is back to normal,” said Aftab’s overwhelmed mother. “He is eating properly and plays with other kids the way he used before he got sick. My child could have died were it not for the SEEM team’s initiative. He is alive now because of their service.”
*The story is based on a personal account shared by Aftab’s mother with a research coordinator working on the SEEM project. Quotes in the story have been edited for clarity.