Two young patients were discharged in good health after receiving specialized care for severe pneumonia at the Vicente Corral Moscoso Hospital in Cuenca, according to a March 31 announcement. The cases involved a three-year-old girl and a two-year-old boy who both required intensive medical intervention.
The government said that the well-being of children is a priority for national authorities and Vice President María José Pinto, who leads the Ministry of Public Health. Both children had been admitted with serious respiratory conditions that required complex treatment and extended stays in intensive care.
The three-year-old girl from Macas, Morona Santiago province, experienced symptoms for up to 20 days before admission. She spent about ten days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) before undergoing surgery coordinated by multiple hospital departments. Pediatric surgeon Luis Marcano said, “As part of her treatment, a complex surgical intervention was performed to treat advanced pneumonia. During the procedure, the affected area was cleaned and a fragment of severely damaged lung was removed.” After surgery and six more days under close monitoring in ICU, she was transferred to pediatric hospitalization fully recovered without needing additional oxygen or support.
The second patient, an infant boy diagnosed with influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), entered pediatric emergency care before being moved to Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) due to his critical condition. He required mechanical ventilation support including prone positioning for ten days in PICU followed by seven more days recovering on the ward.
Xavier Abril, head of HVCM’s Intensive Care Unit, said: “Respiratory infections—both viral and bacterial—as well as pneumonias are among the main causes of morbidity and mortality in pediatric populations. These pathologies represent one of the most frequent reasons for admission to intensive care units where more than 50% of patients require ventilatory support.”
Officials noted that so far this year these diseases have accounted for between 40% and 60% of cases treated in pediatric intensive therapy at this hospital. The Ministry urged citizens to strengthen preventive measures such as vaccinating children against influenza to avoid serious complications.
