Dumped Baby Survives Extreme Heat

The Witness Durban - A week-old baby boy found abandoned at the side of the road in Durban, has been dubbed a true fighter and survivor after surviving without food and drink, and despite scorching temperatures and high levels of humidity on Friday. Paramedics feared the worst when they were called to a scene after a passer-by discovered the baby boy inside a material shopping bag on the pavement along Queen Nandi Drive on Friday afternoon, said Robert McKenzie, spokesperson for KZN Emergency Medical Services. In the bag, the baby was exposed to a temperature of 30?C. But there was a sigh of relief when the paramedics assessed the baby - he was found to be in good health. McKenzie believes that the baby was only about a week old and his umbilical cord was still attached. ?He was found to be in a stable condition and required minimal medical intervention despite the heat that was experienced. The baby, who was fully dressed, appeared to be well looked after,? he said. The baby was checked over at Addington Hospital. According to police spokesperson Captain Thulani Zwane, a case of child neglect has been opened but no arrests have yet been made. Zwane could not say into whose care the infant has been released. According to founder of The Baby House in Durban, Justin Foxton, about 3 500 babies are abandoned in the country annually. Foxton was quoted in Northglen News saying: ?Every month, countless newborn babies are abandoned by mothers unable to care for them. A select number of these babies find their way into baby homes, which are safe havens that care for the needs of these children from birth until one year, during which time adoptive parents are looked for to provide permanent homes.? Last month, their Baby House in La Lucia welcomed a 2-month-old baby boy, ?Spud?, who was found abandoned in Grey Street in the city centre.
SOURCE: NEWS 24