“I Thought I Might Lose Him” – How EECC Saved Baby Jonsoni
“I was very worried when Jonsoni’s condition was getting worse, and I thought I might lose him. But at the hospital, the doctors and nurses acted quickly and gave him the care he needed”
Nine-month-old Jonsoni had been sick for days. What started as diarrhoea and fever worsened until he became weak, cold, and barely responsive. His mother first sought care at a small dispensary, but when his condition didn’t improve, she carried him to the district hospital in Tanzania’s southern highlands—his last hope.
There, a nurse trained in Essential Emergency and Critical Care (EECC) immediately recognised the danger. Jonsoni was in shock. His oxygen levels were dangerously low, his breathing fast, his pulse racing, and his consciousness fading.
The team acted quickly. Oxygen therapy was started through a nasal cannula to help him breathe. But when they tried to place a drip into his veins, every attempt failed—his veins had collapsed from severe dehydration. Time was running out.
Following their EECC training, the team turned to another option: intraosseous access, a method of delivering fluids directly into the bone marrow. Improvising with a blood-giving set needle, they secured the line and began fluid resuscitation. Within an hour, Jonsoni’s breathing eased, pulse rate calmed, oxygen levels climbed, and he opened his eyes again.
Baby Jonsoni undergoing treatment
"When Jonsoni arrived, he was critically ill and in shock,” recalls Dr. Stanford Ngeta, who treated Jonsoni. “We are very thankful that EECC reminded us of the option to use intraosseous access when IV access is not possible. If it were not for EECC, I am certain we could have lost this baby.”
Over the next days, antibiotics and continued monitoring helped Jonsoni recover from the infection behind his diarrhoea. By the second day, he no longer needed oxygen. By the third, he was breastfeeding again, awake and playful. Soon after, he was discharged home in good health.
For his mother, the relief was overwhelming: “I had never seen treatment like the one he received with the special line in his leg. Today my baby is alive and healthy because of the care he received.”
Baby Jonsoni - ready to go home
Diarrhoea is one of the most common childhood illnesses, yet it can become deadly without timely and appropriate treatment. Jonsoni survived because EECC-trained staff had the knowledge, equipment, and confidence to act decisively—even improvising when resources were limited.
This readiness is possible thanks to the EECC in Tanzania (EECCiT) programme, supported by UNICEF Tanzania and funded through Global Affairs Canada’s CanGive initiative. Their partnership ensures district hospitals are equipped to provide life-saving care for the most vulnerable patients.
Jonsoni’s story is not only about one child’s survival—it is a glimpse of what is possible when essential care reaches every corner of the health system. With more support, more children like Jonsoni will not only survive, but thrive.
This is EECC: fast recognition, simple tools, and life-saving action.