Date of Birth: June 30, 2003
Date of Interventions: Catheterization- January 23, 2002 Surgery- February 13 and April 9, 2002
Date of follow up: August 17, 2009
History:
Munira was admitted to the Wolfson Medical Center through Save a Child's Heart in December 2001, just before her 3rd birthday.
She suffered from a congenital heart disease - a type of defect or malformation in one or more structures of the heart or blood vessels that occurs before birth. It is responsible for more deaths in the first year of life than any other birth defects.
On February 13th 2002 Munira underwent a repair of her VSD. After some complications, Munira had to undergo a second surgery on April 9th.
After a recuperation period in the Save a Child's Heart children’s home, Munira was well enough to return back to Zanzibar.
Munira’s medical treatment was sponsored by Kinderhilfe Sansibar, founded Dr. Nicole Haeffner.
Follow up:
Age at follow up: 10 years old
In August 2009, a questionnaire was carried out in Zanzibar by: Save a Child's Heart volunteer from Israel, Netta Beer - a PhD student from Karolinska Institute, doing Malaria research in Zanzibar and working with the ZMCP (Zanzibar Malaria Control Program); Kazija Ali Msaada a nurse from Zanzibar who had accompanied children for their operations to Israel in January 2003; and 2 other local volunteers.
Dr. Omar Suleiman, Director and Coordinator of Pediatric Cardiology at the Mnazi Mmoja hospital, helped with developing the questionnaire and organizing the logistics, whilst the 4 volunteers carried out the questionnaire itself and took current photographs of the children. Their arrival was advertised on the local radio, so that children who were operated on in Israel in the past, knew to come to the hospital for their follow-up and subsequently the questionnaire. They split their week between Mnazi Mmoja hospital in Zanzibar (Unguja Island) and Chake-Chake hospital, in Chake-Chake town.
This was carried ahead of the Save a Child's Heart mission to Zanzibar on September 4th 2009. Headed by Dr. Akiva Tamir, the Head of the Pediatric Cardiology Unit at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, Israel, they screened new children in order to decide who will benefit from treatment and come to Israel for life saving cardiac surgery, and they followed-up on children who had been to Save a Child's Heart for surgery in the past.
Current condition:
Munira and her mother, Mwashamba, came to meet us to update is on Munira’s life since her operation. She is feeling much better than before, now able to run around without any difficulty in breathing.
Munira is now studying in school in grade 4. She is a good pupil and attends school regularly. After school she goes to madras – Koran school – and then plays with her friends. She hopes to become a doctor one day.
Mwashamba is a housewife and Munira’s father, Abdalla is a secretary. They live with Munira’s other sibling in a stone house in Mkwajuni.
Munira is taking medication following her surgery and so every couple of months must make a long 3 hour journey to collect them and to be checked by her physician.