News

Ermune, the little boy that we have watched a couple of times in the past, is in the hospital. The complaint seemed to be a particularly bad bloody nose. However, the the local government health clinic did not seem to be much concerned.

Bayambaa then took him to a private hospital. The private hospital diagnosed a liver problem and sent him on to the National Infectious Diseases Hospital which is near our apartment. He will be there for fourteen days.

Strangely enough to the American mind, his mother is required to be with him 24 hours a day every day until he is discharged from the hospital. So not only is Ermune in the hospital, his mother is as well for the next eleven days. She had a baby that she was nursing but had to give the baby over to her father to take care of because she could not bring the baby into the hospital with her.

Meanwhile, her husband Mandaa continues to work while they are in the hospital. His birthday was over the weekend, and he chose to go out and get drunk with his buddies while his wife and son were in the hospital and the baby is with grandpa. I'm still a little confused about the situation - not the facts of the situation which I know quite well, rather I remain confused about people's reasons for doing what they are doing.

It seems to me that because it is liver related, the doctors think that Ermune has hepatitis. The symptoms that have been described to me are the bloody nose, jaundice, and trouble with his liver. They think that he caught this disease from his environment because the disease is often spread in Mongolia by mice and cockroaches - both of which are very common.

Still, the doctors have not yet started a regimen of treatment. Ermune was admitted to the hospital on Friday, and some tests were taken. However, the pathology department does not work on the weekends so Bayambaa must wait until Monday to find out what the tests show. Then the doctors will prescribe a course of treatment. She has asked us to pray, and we'd ask you to join us in prayer as she and her son are in the hospital. I will give you more updates as I am aware of them.