Tetanus and animal poo crammed in the cord

[Ivan's Mom]

I am so sad about a video I saw. It was a the expose about Sierra Leone and how the mamas there are packing their babys' cord stump with animal poo and mud and therefore putting their child in the throws of a horrible death b/c they contracted tetanus.

The video said that Pam9ers is giving a free vaccine to the nation for every package of their "never-biodegrading" specially marked throw-away diapers.

The video showed a seven-day-old baby die right there on camera from tetanus. The comment was made that the baby could have lived for 7 cents, the cost of the vaccine. This made me so angry! Tiny newborns are not given the tetanus shot. They would not even need it if their mothers were properly educated that the horse crap they were stuffing into the baby's umbi cord was going to kill them. I just wish so much that as much money was spent on EDUCATION as is spent on vaccinations.

Also was so disturbed by the story in regards to breastfeeding. Apparently in this horrifically poor country, the mamas do not breastfeed b/c the men wont have intercourse w/them if they breastfeed. So if the tetanus doesn't cause a horrible death, starvation just might.

[angie7]

Ugh! I agree with you completely! Education should be #1, not a vaccine....So how do women in this country feed their babies? I don't think formula is just laying around?

[Sileree]

I just don't get why this tradition would have evolved. Makes me scratch my head and wonder.

[Da WIC Lady]

DD1 is in disposables still... She's a heavy wetter and I haven't found a cloth trainer that will contain her pees. When Pampers came out with their vax program I stopped buying their brand even though they have the character DD1 likes best. I noticed this campaign shortly after DD2's vax reaction and was disgusted.

[janellesmommy]

It is disgusting that they are pushing the vaccine instead of education.

[*Erin*]

omg i have never heard of that, how horrible! why on earth push the shot when they could educate?! (don't answer that...sigh...)

[mamakay]

They have tried education. It's just...a deeply held cultural belief over there.

[ericswifey27]

Did you hear the question the female reporter asked on that video? She said it might just be her cynical New York side, but was this visit truly "humanitarian" or "for profit"? The doctor/pharmaceutical rep's answer was that it was a win-win and a great way to "promote" his product (the tetanus vaccine).

Barf.

On a bright note Salma Hayek nursing that little baby was just precious!

[kriket]

I have heard this before.

It me that 'people' are trying to put the perverberal band-aid on problems instead of working to resolve them.

There are countries that people (women exp it seems) are subjected to cultural standards that are .... insane. My heart cries for them. There are things happening in our own country that are abhorrent, and I have to focus on those, but it doesn't stop my heart from crying. (or stop me from boycotting companies that try to make a buck off of the suffering. $tarbuck$, Nestle, pampers, you know who you are.

[Full Heart]

Like I've said before a vaccine is no substitute for good hygiene. or education. Eliminate the tetanus and what other problems are there still going to be for putting stuff on cord stumps? The problem is not the tetanus its the tradition. In fact I would dare say that by trying to eliminate the tetanus we are just reinforcing the tradition.