462 Female Genital Cutting
cephalexin, 494
dicloxacillin, 498
erythromycin, 501
366
bladder and kidney
infection
373
how to put in a
catheter
Transport!
What to do for infection:
• Give an antibiotic, such as
cephalexlin, dicloxacillin, or
er ythromycin.
• Keep watching for warning signs
of tetanus, sepsis, and shock. If
she has not yet had a tetanus
vaccination, she should get one
immediately.
• Give modern or plant
medicines for pain.
• Keep the genitals very clean.
Wash them with water that has
been boiled and cooled and has
a little salt in it.
Cutting is even
more dangerous
for girls who have
not had a tetanus
vaccination. All girls
should be vaccinated.
Urine problems
Since female genital cutting often causes severe pain when
a girl passes urine, some girls try to hold their urine back. This
can cause infection and damage to the urine tubes, bladder,
and kidneys. Holding back urine frequently can cause stones to
form in the bladder.
What to do:
• Run clean water over the genitals when passing urine. This
makes the urine less acid, so it causes less pain. Drinking
more liquids will also help.
• Pour water into a bucket or pan. The sound of the running
water sometimes helps the person start to pass urine.
• Apply a damp towel soaked in warm water to the genitals.
This may help relieve the pain.
• Watch for signs of bladder and kidney infection.
If a girl has not been able to pass urine
for more than a day or
night, and her lower belly
feels tight and full over the
bladder, it is an emergency.
She must see a trained
health worker immediately
who can put a tube in the
bladder to drain the urine.
Do not give her more
liquid to drink, because this
will add pressure on her
bladder and kidneys.
feel for the
bladder
here
Where Women Have No Doctor 2012