Dr. Benjamin Warf, an American physician with ten years of experience treating children in Uganda, Africa, testified today about an innovative surgical procedure for controlling hydrocephalus.
The House Foreign Affairs Subcmte. on Africa, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), is investigating the treatment for hydrocephalus, a condition in which blocked spinal fluid puts pressure on the brain and is fatal if untreated. "Water-on-the-brain" affects 1 in 2,000 newborns in the developing world.
The traditional treatment of the disease -- a shunt for draining cerebrospinal fluid -- is costly and requires continued treatment. Dr. Warf's innovation, which has saved the lives of thousands of children, is noninvasive and easily taught to local doctors.