U'ganda love this!

I was at the local hospital a few days ago taking some of our kids for immunisations. Part of the immunisation schedule here in Uganda is to give babies and children under 5yrs a dose of Vitamin A twice a year. Vitamin A is used in the developing world to help reduce the risk of death of babies by up to 15%. Supplying Vitamin A to children in underdeveloped countries is part of the World Health Organisations goals and is one of the most cost-effective of all health interventions for saving young lives.

Today I gave the Vitamin A like a professional Ugandan who has done this lots of times before. I felt very smug with myself administrating it in it's unique way and it reminded me of my first visit here 6 months ago when I was totally shocked at how it was given. Remembering this story made me smile so I thought I should share it and a smile with you too! During this first visit I was cradling a baby who had just been given her immunisations. The nurse then gave her Polio drops and handed me the vitamin A gel capsule to give to the baby. I looked at her confused. How could I give a fairly large gel capsule to a new born baby?! The nurse kept saying, “give, give”. I then expressioned to her, “how”?!. The nurse then proceeded to very clearly show me. She took the gel capsule from my hand and placed it in her mouth. With it clamped between her teeth she bit off the edge in order to ‘burst’ it open. The contents were then squeezed straight into the baby’s mouth! There was I waiting for a pair of scissors or some alternative option for how to open it and before I could even come up with a suggestion she just did it!!

Today I felt like a proud student and experienced the oddity and albeit slightly uncomfortable feeling (I still have my western professional nursing cap on somehow!) of bursting a number of capsules in my teeth so that our babies could have their dose of vitamin A!