Only 3 months old but already in a fight for life

Pham Thi My Duyen is only 3 months old but is suffering from Hemophilus Influenza type B (Hib).

Pham Chau Binh and Le Thi Tuyet of Hamlet 5A, Tan Binh Trung, Tam Tien Commune, Nui Thanh District, Quang Nam Province are the parents of Duyen.

They have 3 children, Duyen being the youngest. They have been forced to quit their jobs to take care of the little baby.

Duyen is currently staying at Da Nang Hospital.

Binh is a tailor and earns VND1,400,000 ($75) per month and Tuyet is a house helper earning VND1 million ($54) per month. They try to save money for their children’s school fees but it isn't enough so their oldest child was forced to leave school. The middle child is currently in 9th grade.

Duyen is being treated at the pediatric ward of Da Nang Hospital. Doctor Tran The Tao said that Duyen is suffering from Hib and she has lost her consciousness and her the ventricles of her brain are filled with fluid.

Hib is a very dangerous disease. She may suffer from cerebral-palsy due to serious after-effects of Hib because she was not taken to hospital fast enough.

At present, the hospital is offering free treatment to Duyen. However, her parents don’t go to work so they don’t have enough money to buy milk for Duyen or food for themselves.

Tuyet said that they don’t have a penny left. Their relatives have also supported them but they can’t help much because they are also very poor.

Haemophilus influenza type b disease, also called Hib disease, is an illness that can cause a potentially fatal brain infection in young children. Hib disease can be a cause of serious, often deadly, infections in children under the age of 5.

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