Where There Is No Doctor 2011 303
A malnourished, sickly child may have a chart like the one below. Notice that
the line of dots (his weight) is below the Road to Health. The line of dots is also
irregular and does not rise much. This shows the child is in danger.
Typical chart of
THE UNDERWEIGHT
OR MALNOURISHED
CHILD
Dots show that the
child has not been
gaining weight well,
and during the last
months has lost weight.
A child with a chart like the one above is seriously underweight. Perhaps
he is not getting enough food. Or perhaps he has a disease like tuberculosis or
malaria. Or both. He should be given more energy-rich foods more often. He
should also be checked or tested for possible illnesses, and visit a health worker
frequently until his chart shows he is gaining weight well.
IMPORTANT: Watch the direction of the line of dots.
The direction of the line of dots tells more about the child’s health than
whether the dots are inside or below the two curved lines. For example:
DANGER! This child is not gaining weight.
Although the dots for
this child are within
the curved lines. the
child has not been
gaining weight well
for several months.
GOOD! This child is gaining weight well.
Although the dots for
this child are below the
2 curved lines, their
upward direction shows
the child is growing
well. Some children are
naturally smaller than
others. Perhaps this
child’s parents are also
smaller than average.
WATCH THE DIRECTION
OF THE LINE SHOWING
THE CHILD’S GROWTH
GOOD
Child growing well
DANGER
Not gaining weight
find out why
VERY DANGEROUS
Losing weight.
May be ill;
needs extra care