5000 Lives Changed!
Now over a year ago, Soddo Christian Hospital started a sustainable prevention program for rheumatic heart disease. It involves school based ultrasound screening for early detection of rheumatic heart disease. A group of 6, that grew to 8 nurses were trained on how to do the screening ultrasound. They are now proficient to go on their own to do the screening. After the children are screened, one of our Ethiopian specialists confirms the changes in the heart valves and the child gets started on monthly penicillin injections. The injections prevent further strep throat, which then prevents the scaring on the heart valves. This chronic cardiac problem not only causes a short life for the child, but often the families pay a lot of money for medications, travel far to doctor’s appointments, other children may not get what they need and it can cause a medical I can’t count the number of tears that I have cried over sick children destined to die of rheumatic heart disease before their ...