On friday 2nd of March, i took my son to school earlier than usual to check for an item he forgot the previous day. After retrieving the item, just as he stepped out for assembly; i saw one of his classmates with a swollen eye and his mum was complaining to the class teacher that he always has boils and rashes whenever the weather is hot.
I took her aside and asked her if the child was eating well and she said, No! Then i told her the child might be having some health issues and i wrote some drugs for her to buy. I let her know the importance of carrots and adviced her to ensure they eat lots of it because it will boost their immunity. She thanked me and left.
On tuesday 6th of March, i just dropped my son in school and i met her again. This time around she called me because she understood that i have some medical experience. She said 'aunty, see this pikin body. No be chicken pox be this so? I think say person no dey sick am two times because this boy don sick am before'. It means please look at this boy's body, is this not chicken pox? I thought one doesn't come down with the ailment more than once.
I began another round of lectures, informing her that Chicken pox (Varicella) can attack anyone at anytime especially if your immunity is low. The teacher asked her to take her son home so that he won't infect other kids. Outside the school gate, i asked her to buy 'aciclovir'. She asked me how much it costs and when i told her it costs about one thousand six hundred naira (2sbd), she started crying. I wouldn't say i was shocked because i know the economic situation of the country. I asked her why she was shedding tears and she told me 'Madam, last week i had excruciating pain and i ran plenty tests for ulcer in Nyanya General Hospital and now my son is ill. How do i call my husband who just travelled back to his place of work, to tell him that our son is ill? Won't he think i just want to milk money from him?
This is the plight of 95% women who depend on their husband's wealth. The man would always feel she's trying to use his money to take care of herself alone. If your wife isn't working and you are taking care of her along with the kids, she will not have any reason to touch a dime from the money you gave her but if you are not taking care of her, where do you want her to get money for her upkeep? You've got all the money in the world, all the young girls on the street are at your beck and call but you cannot take care of your wife. If she decides to become unfaithful, the whole world treats her with disdain. How about the unfaithful man? Is there a law that binds women, that doesn't bind men?
I felt sorry for her. I called me elder sister @farida's mum to tell her the situation because i had almost nothing on me. She promised to get the drug for her on her way back from work because it's not a drug you find in every pharmacy. She called the person from whom she bought in 2016 when she and some of her kids had the ailment and the person said the drug was available. I went with the woman to the pharmacy and bought 'Calamine Lotion' 400 naira(0.5sbd) for her to rub on the surface of the skin to avoid itching and help external healing. She was grateful and we exchanged phone numbers for her to get the other drug when my sister buy's it.
In the evening, my sister bought the drug as promised 1,600 (2sbd). I got it accross to the sick child's mum and told her how to administer it.
By thursday i.e about 7 days after the chicken pox manifested and we were thinking they were mere rashes, Mujaheed was back to school. Please note that chicken pox becomes contagious after about 2days. Therefore it was good he wasn't in school on monday. By thursday when he returned, it wouldn't be contagious anymore.
Funny enough, his seat has been changed to where my son is and this implies that if we didn't act fast, he could eaaily have infected my son with Chicken pox.
Mujaheed in school
The light complexioned boy with a green shirt close to the teacher's table is my son Enyo. The dark complexioned boy with a white shirt on the same seat with him after the light complexioned girl (Emmanuela) is Mujaheed. I took this snapshot while they were writing. His teacher Miss. Yemisi is a very hardworking young lady. She is very interested in learning about steemit.
When we render help at times, we do not know that we are helping ourselves too. Helping that child, saved every other child in the class from contacting that infection. It is possible the child was not properly treated the last time he had the disease, due to lack of funds and that is why he came down with it the second time.
I intend returning the 1,600(2sbd) to my eldest sister soonest even though most, if not all members of my family, love rendering help to the helpless. This has always been exhibited by @maryfavour my elder sister.
Thank you for helping to prevent an outbreak of chickenpox in my little newphew (Enyo)'s school. Not to worry about the 2 SBDs. That would be settled. Health insurance would solve the problem of mama Mujaheed and lots of Nigerians who must employ 'out of the pocket expenses' in order to access healthcare services.
On a lighter note, the wearing out of the floor design and wall paint of their school is enough for children to infected with chicken pox.
@maryfavour & @redfishpillar.
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The tiles need to be changed but how many parents pay school fees regularly? Instead of paying the fees, they will owe in a particular school and take their children elsewhere. By the time their children are done with primary school, they must have attended 6 or 7 different schools, owing fees in all. The walls ain't so bad. The two poles in the picture are the burglary proof of the window because I snapped from outside.
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