The sudden death of babies worries community members

Staff Reporter

INCIDENTS of babies dying suddenly are multiplying in the northern regions. Members of the community are bewildered, and the police’s investigations have so far not offered any possible explanation.

The latest two such incidents were reported in the Oshana Region recently. According to the police, a month-old baby girl died suddenly in the Uupindi informal settlement of Oshakati on Friday.

The baby’s 28-year-old mother informed the police that the baby, Justina Kadhikwa, was perfectly healthy and she did breastfeed her at around 03:00 and then fell asleep, but when she woke up to feed the baby again at 05:00, she discovered that the baby was dead. “The deceased baby was born healthy without any medical condition, and she was not sick prior to her death,” said the police.

Another incident was reported to the police at Ongwediva, also on Friday.

It is alleged that Victoria Hambeleleni Namawe, a month-old baby girl, died at home in the Oikango-2 village.

According to the police, Victoria’s 19-year-old mother took the baby to a medical doctor recently, but the baby died at home on Friday at around 21:00.

In both cases, postmortem examinations are being carried out to determine the exact causes of death.

There have been several reports of late about babies dying suddenly, and it is becoming an issue of concern to members of the community.

“Initially, when I learned about only a few incidents, I was tempted to blame ‘negligent mothers’, but with the latest reports, it now appears that the issue is complicated and deserves a thorough investigation,” said Lucia Hamalwa, a 64-year-old resident of the Uupindi informal settlement.

Nghilifavali Lawrentius, a long-distance truck driver, said he is equally mystified. “Going to sleep with a healthy baby and waking up with a dead one is a terrifying prospect,” he said.