In Odessa, a 10-month-old baby choked on food while his parents left him alone
A tragedy has occurred in Odesa—a 10-month-old infant has died; according to preliminary reports, the child choked on food while left unattended by adults. Law enforcement officials are investigating the circumstances of the incident and reviewing the actions of social services.
According to preliminary information, the 16-year-old parents briefly left the child alone in the apartment. When they returned, the boy was already showing no signs of life.
Medical personnel arrived promptly at the scene and attempted to resuscitate the infant, but were unable to save him.
“Paramedics fought to save the child’s life, but were unable to do so. The preliminary cause of death is aspiration of food,” said Member of Parliament Pavlo Sushko.
According to the lawmaker, both parents of the deceased child are only 16 years old. He also noted that the police had previously received a report regarding the mother’s suicide attempt, after which the family was recommended for social supervision.
As Sushko notes, the Children’s Services Agency referred the family to the Social Services Center with a recommendation to register them as a family facing difficult life circumstances and to provide the necessary assistance.
However, according to him, the actual work with the family amounted to nothing more than formalities.
“Work with the family was effectively limited to a preventive conversation, providing information about the range of social services, and obtaining a written refusal to receive them,” stated Pavlo Sushko.
The MP called for a thorough investigation into the actions of all responsible agencies to determine whether they fulfilled their duties properly and whether the tragedy could have been prevented.
Law enforcement officials are currently conducting an investigation, establishing all the circumstances surrounding the child’s death, and awaiting the results of a forensic medical examination, which should definitively determine the cause of the infant’s death.
The tragedy has once again drawn attention to the need for effective support for families facing difficult life circumstances, especially when the parents are minors. Experts emphasize that young children require constant supervision, as even a brief absence of adults can lead to fatal consequences.
The investigation is ongoing. Law enforcement officials must determine the degree of responsibility of both the child’s parents and the officials who were assisting this family.
Previously, the newborn boy was admitted to the Center for Pediatric Medicine with persistent vomiting and failure to gain weight. Despite changes in formula and feeding regimen, the child was unable to properly digest even small amounts of food.
Doctors at the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital helped nurse a severely premature infant back to health; the baby was born at 29 weeks of gestation, weighing only 1,060 grams and measuring 38 centimeters in length. The child’s condition at birth was critical.
