Jenny Kleeman and Suemay Oram travel to Uganda to investigate hydrocephalus: a preventable yet misunderstood condition that affects a quarter of a million babies a year in Sub-Saharan Africa.
They visit Africa's only paediatric neurosurgery hospital and meet the mothers in a race against time to save their babies' lives.
Hydrocephalus - or 'water on the brain' - occurs when fluid builds up inside the skull, putting huge pressure on tissues inside, causing brain damage and death. Hydrocephalus has many causes, but in Uganda most cases develop when babies contract infections after being born in unsterile conditions.
It is more common than deafness or Down's syndrome worldwide, and easily treated in the developed world. But in Africa, few hydrocephalus babies get medical attention. Without treatment, 90% will die before their second birthday.
The team begins their journey at the CURE hospital in Mbale, eastern Uganda, where mothers are praying for their babies' lives while they wait for brain surgery. The hospital treats 4000 children a year, with 20 new hydrocephalus cases arriving every day.
Kleeman meets Dr Nekaka, who is examining Sarah, a two-month-old who needs urgent surgery. A scan shows that hydrocephalus has already left her brain damaged, but with early treatment, Sarah's brain might grow back and recover.
On the packed ward, Kleeman meets Loy, and her nine-month-old son Kazimiri, who is in the advanced stages of hydrocephalus. It took Loy six months to borrow and save the money to pay for their transport here, and she had to watch Kazimiri deteriorate while she tried to scrape together their fare.
Kleeman and Oram are invited into the theatre as the surgeon, John Mugamba, operates on Sarah and then Kazimiri. Dr Mugamba is one of only five neurosurgeons in Uganda. He tells Kleeman that most cases are entirely preventable, but poor neonatal care, poverty and a lack of surgeons mean many die needlessly.
Sarah's surgery is straightforward: her parents brought her in early so her treatment was simple. But Kazimiri's condition is so poor that the surgery has to be abandoned. Dr Mugamba tells Loy he will wait a week before trying again.
Hydrocephalus is particularly common in the least developed parts of the country. In Gulu, the team meet Winnifred, whose daughter shows advanced symptoms. Like Kazimiri and Sarah, Oroma was born a normal baby, but her head began to swell after an infection.
Winnifred tells Kleeman her husband left her after Oroma started changing. She says that local people insult her and say that she's bought a curse on the village.
The team returns to the hospital just as Kazimiri comes out of his second surgery. Dr Mugamba has managed to save his life, but only by inserting a drainage tube into his head.
Loy won't know the extent of any permanent brain damage until Kazimiri is older. The tube will need to be replaced with further surgery as he grows. Getting him to hospital once has already bankrupted her family, but Loy had decided to fight for his life, whatever the cost.
While Kazimiri is still in hospital, the team hears that Sarah is recovering well from her surgery. They travel to see her at home in her village and find that her condition has already improved only five days after treatment.
She's lucky to have had the operation early. Sarah's father, Oluport, tells Kleeman: 'She will be somebody who can go to school, maybe work, by herself. Even when she woke up today, I saw that she was a bit better, and I felt very good.'
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On TV
First Shown
| Date | Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21 October 2011 | Channel 4 |
Last Shown
| Date | Time | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 21 October 2011 | 7.30PM | Channel 4 |
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