3-week-old baby who had turned blue saved
sharjah — A three-week-old baby, who was taken to a Sharjah hospital with whooping cough and low oxygen saturation, is now safe and well.
The Emirati baby, Ghaya, was rushed to University Hospital Sharjah (UHS) with signs of infection.
Ghaya’s father, Mohammad Ali, said: “The symptoms included high fever and persistent cough. After conducting several tests, a severe chest infection was diagnosed.”
The UHS doctors found that the infant was in continuous coughing fits and had interrupted breathing patterns. Ghaya’s skin had become blue, which indicates low saturation of oxygen in the body. The team immediately provided oxygen and assisted the baby’s breathing to prevent any further discolouration.
Ghaya stayed in the hospital for 25 days before being discharged.
Prof. Hakam Yaseen, UHS’s Medical Director (CMO), head of paediatrics and neonatology department, consultant pediatrician and neonatologist, said: “When I saw the Ghaya, I witnessed a coughing episode and immediately requested for a whooping cough investigation using a nasal secretion test. This investigation requires a special laboratory that is not common in the region as it uses the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. This is used to amplify a single copy of a segment of DNA to generate more copies of a particular DNA sequence.”
Five days later, the results from UHS’s laboratory came back positive for whooping cough. The baby’s mother was also found coughing.
“The mother had contracted whooping cough, which was then passed onto Ghaya. There is a high mortality rate in these cases, especially if the baby is a newborn. Without assistance, the disease would eventually affect and stop the baby’s heart,” added Prof. Hakam.
According to him, these cases are rare in the region. Authorities recommend vaccination for pregnant women as a safety precaution.
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