What started out as a scraped knee, in mid-July, became lethal to 3-year-old Ashley Pacheco. At the time of the incident, Ashley’s parents cleaned the wound twice with rubbing alcohol and gave her a hug, unfortunately, one week later, Ashley battled a fever that just kept rising. Seeking the help of doctors at a local clinic, Ashley’s parents were told that she would be on the mend quickly, but when her temperature spiked to 104 degrees, and her left leg was swollen from her toes to the top of her thigh, her parents knew that action needed to be taken. They left the local clinic for the University Hospital.
In 2015, the government of Venezuela reported that one-in-three people died in public hospitals. The National Drugstore Trade Group notes that the country is running short on 85 percent of medicines, as the economy continues to fail. But it is not only a shortage of vital medicines that the locals have to face, many are destitute. Basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, health, and education are a luxury that many can’t afford and the government cannot supply. Ashley's parents started boiling water for her daily bath when the water coming out of the taps became fetid, and still, this did not prevent infection. …show more content…
Deleterious bacteria had entered near her knee, and was burrowing into her joint (AP 2016, 3). That night, Ashley’s condition worsened. The green heart monitor used to track her vitals began to zigzag wildly. Her breathing became more labored and sounded like hoarse hiccups. Doctors suspected that bacteria had made its way into Ashley’s lungs, but having no X-ray machine to confirm this diagnosis, the decision was made to transport her to a private clinic. The X-ray confirmed what doctors had suspected. The bacteria had entered her lung and it had collapsed as a
In 2015, the government of Venezuela reported that one-in-three people died in public hospitals. The National Drugstore Trade Group notes that the country is running short on 85 percent of medicines, as the economy continues to fail. But it is not only a shortage of vital medicines that the locals have to face, many are destitute. Basic services such as electricity, water, sanitation, health, and education are a luxury that many can’t afford and the government cannot supply. Ashley's parents started boiling water for her daily bath when the water coming out of the taps became fetid, and still, this did not prevent infection. …show more content…
Deleterious bacteria had entered near her knee, and was burrowing into her joint (AP 2016, 3). That night, Ashley’s condition worsened. The green heart monitor used to track her vitals began to zigzag wildly. Her breathing became more labored and sounded like hoarse hiccups. Doctors suspected that bacteria had made its way into Ashley’s lungs, but having no X-ray machine to confirm this diagnosis, the decision was made to transport her to a private clinic. The X-ray confirmed what doctors had suspected. The bacteria had entered her lung and it had collapsed as a