Two day old baby Jacob was brought into the MSF operated emergency room, inside the Ministry of Health (MoH) primary healthcare centre in Mundri town, after his mother gave birth at home with a traditional birth attendant. His mother travelled to the Mundri primary healthcare centre from Ladiwa, which is around 40 miles away.
On arrival, Jacob was not breathing properly with a high temperature. The MSF medical team treating Jacob were able to diagnose that he had suffered from meconium aspiration – breathing in of the amniotic fluid containing meconium (earliest stool) which block the newborn's airways and cause regions of the lungs to collapse – during the birth. He had developed a lung infection, with his condition further exacerbated by a second infection on his umbilical cord, caused by traditional medicine methods – ash mixed with oil which was placed directly on the freshly cut umbilical cord. After receiving 24-hour medical care and monitoring from the MSF medical team in the emergency room for 9 days, Jacob recovered and was able to go home with his mother and siblings.