One of the saddest health problems in all the developing world is vesicovaginal fistula (VVF). It’s a hole created between a woman’s bladder and her vagina, resulting in a constant, uncontrollable flow of urine out the vagina. As a result, many these women – and often children under their care – are outcast by their husbands and their communities. Here at Lubango Evangelica Medical Center Dr. Steve Foster is performing the necessary, but often complicated surgical repair for a large number of women. But how about prevention? VVF is caused by complications of the normal birthing process. When the baby descends too slowly, undue pressure is placed on the mother’s bladder by the baby’s head, resulting in death of that tissue, and a subsequent hole. The solution? In short, provision of modern obstetrical care, where failure of the natural birth process is diagnosed and treated immediately.
All Blogs