In Labor, With Cholera

At Isale Jeanty Hospital in Port-au-Prince, MSF has set up a cholera treatment center (CTC) for women with cholera symptoms who are in the late stages of pregnancy or in labor.

When a pregnant woman becomes dehydrated due to cholera, her fetus is not able to receive enough oxygen, blood flow, or the nutrients it needs, which causes distress.

The MSF working the Isale Jeanty CTC have made about 17 deliveries, but only 3 babies survived. Most were dead at the time of the mother’s admission.

One of the surviving babies had to be resuscitated after delivery.

The other two were in good health and were treated in Isale Jeanty Hospital. Here, babies receive intensive care in the hospital’s neonatal ward.

The mothers receive standard cholera treatment. If they are able to drink, they drink oral rehydration solution. Less stable mothers are given rehydrating fluid through IVs. Most of the patients at the CTC come in needing aggressive rehydration.

“We are concerned about their condition. The women can be very depressed,” said MSF midwife Felipe Rojas Lopez. “Many have lost their babies and they are continually having diarrhea and vomiting.” MSF’s mental health team at the hospital provides psychological care to the women.

Since MSF’s program at Isale Jeanty Hospital is only for women in the late stages of pregnancy and labor, MSF plans to open a new CTC for women in all stages of pregnancy who are suffering from cholera. The new facility should be open in the Leman neighborhood of Port-au-Prince in December.

In Labor, With Cholera

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In Labor, With Cholera

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