Health

A Vietnamese Nurse Sentenced for Infecting Children with Genital Warts

Published

4 years ago

April 14, 2019

A nurse in Vietnam has been sentenced to jail for 10 years, for violating the medical regulations. In a case of negligence, the nurse infected 117 children with genital warts, a disease which first saw an outbreak in July 2017 with more than 80 boys, maximum aged below 2 years.

Due to this negligence, the nurse was found guilty by Hung Yen Province People’s Court in Northern Vietnam, which barred her from doing her practice for 3 years after her release from jail.

The court also ordered the nurse to pay compensation of more than 2.2 billion Dong to the families, that amounts to a total of $94,850. This amount is to be distributed to 111 of the 117 families of victims. The remaining 6 families failed to prove whether the nurse was the only cause of their children’s infection or not.

This amount will help the parents to find a doctor who can prescribe the most appropriate treatment for genital warts in children.

As per the findings of the court, the nurse ran an unlicensed medical service at her own home, where she used to examine the genitals of the children. For each treatment, the nurse charged up to VND 520,000. The reason why children acquired genital warts was because the nurse was using unsterilized equipment to treat the children.

The treatment was given for phimosis. Phimosis is a condition in which the tight foreskin of the penis cannot be pulled back over the head. For treating phimosis, the foreskin has to be widened. But since the equipment to widen the foreskin was unsterilized, children contracted human papillomavirus (HPV), which subsequently led to the genital warts.

Health

What Interferes with Successful Breastfeeding?

Published

4 weeks ago

September 5, 2023

Michelle Langton

While breastfeeding is ideal, it comes with many difficulties new parents might face.

After experiencing the intensity of labor and delivery, many new parents are left exhausted. Despite this fatigue and surviving pospartum, new parents soon learn the importance of managing the needs of an infant. Putting aside their own desires, parents learn to quickly adapt.

Exhaustion and recovery are not the only things that discourage parents from breastfeeding. There are a variety of other woes that can make it difficult for a lactating parent to continue to choose this option.

While 83 percent of women breastfeed at the beginning of postpartum, there is a drastic reduction by 6 months, resulting in only 56% of babies still being breastfed.

Engorged Breasts

When a lactating woman’s milk comes in, she may experience intense pain and discomfort. The breasts typically become overly filled with milk because they have not yet regulated their supply. This engorgement can continue throughout the breastfeeding journey for a variety of reasons.

If the baby’s schedule changes, a woman’s breasts can become overly full. If the parent misses a feeding, breasts can experience discomfor which can lead to breastfeeding infection. If a woman becomes preoccupied at work and does not make time to pump, she can experience discomfort.

If breast engorgement is not treated properly, milk ducts can become blocked, and if a woman does not work to move the milk through her breasts (via feeding her baby, pumping, or expressing the milk), this engorgement can lead to further problems and may cause clogged milk ducts.

Infection

One of the biggest concerns beyond the pain a woman experiences with engorgement is infection. This is known as mastitis, and leads to a woman experiencing not only breast pain and warm breast tissue, but also flu-like symptoms that come with fever, chills, headache, and further exhaustion.

In order to help prevent infection, regular feedings are essential. Often, the best mastitis treatment, at least for early symptoms, is to massage the breast in a warm shower and express the extra milk.

Furthermore, by working with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), parents can have a great resource on how to best deal with, treat, and alleviate these problems.

Not only is an IBCLC a great resource in helping prevent breast infection, but a great source for your breastfeeding journey to encourage and educate you in best practices.

The best way to achieve breastfeeding success is to utilize the many tools that an IBCLC offers.

Burnout

To exclusively breastfeed your baby can be quite overwhelming and exhausting. Between nightly feedings, cluster feedings, and pumping sessions for working mothers, breastfeeding is difficult to maintain. Unless a woman is properly supported by her family, friends, and workplace, the chances that a woman will continue to breastfeed are significantly impacted.

Culture also impacts the likelihood of a baby being breastfed beyond 6 months. The CDC discovered that parents in the Southeast United States are less likely to breastfeed their children past six months. This was in contrast to the Northwest, where business policies and the culture is more breastfeeding-friendly and supportive.

Conclusion

Despite the nutritional benefits afforded to a breastfed baby, there are many obstacles that can be discouraging for parents on their breastfeeding journey. From exhaustion to pain to lack of supoort, parents have many reasons to give up.

To increase your chances of success, surround yourself with supportive individuals, reach out to an IBCLC, also known as lactation consultants, and gain the necessary tools required to provide your child with the healthiest option available – you!