NAN Archive

Loading

NAN Archive

Tag paediatrician

  • Feb, Wed, 2020
Health

Paediatrician calls for deeper collaboration to reduce preterm deaths

Preterms
By Joan Odafe
Lagos, Feb. 26, 2020 (NAN) A Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Efunbo Dosekun, has called deeper collaboration between government and other stakeholders in the health sector to reduce preterm deaths.

Dosekun, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Outreach Women and Children’s Hospital Group, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.

She said that a combined collaborative and innovative network by government at various levels and stakeholders in the health sector would reduce preterm deaths and infant mortality.

The paediatrician explained that birth practitioners who are responsible for delivery, care of mothers and newborns are sometimes far from the reach of the mothers during emergencies or delivery.

Dosekun urged the government to provide better service delivery for preterms by collaborating with private sector doctors.

“We can’t keep recording death of mothers or their babies, even if they are preterm.

“There is need for more emergency facilities for high risk pregnancies, for a mother who is ill, diabetic or suddenly starts bleeding; there’s a limit to what is obtainable.

“There is the need for Public-Private -Partnership in service delivery in low and medium income countries because the population of our countries is very large.

“I will say that there is a mismatch between those who require emergency services and the government hospitals delivering them; if they can’t provide it, they should use private sector doctors,” she said.

The Paediatrician recommended that the emergency care be given at the private hospitals while follow up care be done at the government ones.

Dosekun, however, advised the government to regulate the private sector by way of surveillance and accreditation, to ensure they work optimally.

“We need to work with international donors, governments, corporate and voluntary organisations to ensure that preterm deaths are reduced to the barest minimum.

“If it becomes inevitable that the baby is coming early, does everyone know what to do? What is the health system doing for newborns to ensure that these babies survive ?

”All these questions must be worked on if we have to solve the problems of preterm deaths in the country.

“Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, midwives, even the traditional birth attendants, need to work closer with those providing care for newborns, so they have a chance to live without disabilities,” she said.

Dosekun said that emergency care for preterm babies was  sensitive, expensive and most times out of the reach of those who need it.

She urged the government to engage more hands to do the job, particularly at the grassroots.(NAN)
JOJO/BOLA/SOA
================
Edited by Bola Akingbehin/Oluwole Sogunle

08035789896

Health

Paediatrician warns against arbitrary use of steroid for skin diseases

Paediatrician warns against arbitrary use of steroid for skin diseases

By Lydia Ngwakwe
Rashes
Lagos, April 2, 2019 (NAN) A Consultant Dermatologist, Dr Funmi Ajose, has warned mothers to stop arbitrary use of steroid ointment in their babies cream in order not to damage the skin.

Ajose of the Department of Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Steroid creams are used to reduce skin inflammation caused by conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema.

They are the cornerstone and first-line treatment of these and many other skin diseases.

However, the consultant dermatologist said that it was very wrong to apply strong chemicals on baby’s skin to treat skin infection of any sort without establishing the cause.

“As mothers, if your children have rashes, you have to look for the cause of the rashes first, which can be in their soap or in the wrong ointment applied to their skin.

“A lot of mothers use wrong soap on their babies’ skin and the wrong soap can give problems.

“They also use wrong moisturizers; some of the moisturizers make the children to sweat and when they sweat, they develop rashes.

“So before you even think of adding that over the counter steroid cream like Skineal to your child’s cream, you should first of all know whatever it is that is giving your child rashes and stop the use,’’ Ajose advised.

The dermatologist said that using plastic underlay on the baby’s bed when sleeping could also generate sweat and cause rashes.

She also cautioned against adding liquid antiseptic to baby’s bathing water, as doing so could cause the child to develop skin rashes.

Ajose urged mothers to use good quality coconut oil on their babies’ skin, saying it is better than the moisturizers sold in the market.

The skin expert advised parents to always consult qualified physicians if they notice that their children were experiencing skin irritation or any other unusual developments.(NAN)
LED/AOS/MST
Edited by Bayo Sekoni/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Infant teething not associated with diarrhoea – Paediatrician

Infant teething not associated with diarrhoea – Paediatrician
By Ummul Idris
Teething
Abuja, March 28, 2019(NAN) Dr Becky Malgwi, a Paediatrician, says infant teething is not associated with diarrhoea.
She said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
Malgwi, who spoke against the commonly belief by mothers that infant teething comes with diarrhoea, said teething was not related to any diarrhoea.
According to her, the diarrhoea can be as a result of the dirty things that the baby put in the mouth to try to ease the discomfort in his mouth.
“You know when the teeth is coming out the child will experience discomfort in the area that the teeth is coming out.
“The teething child always tries to take anything they come across to chew and many of those things are not very clean.
“It is the bacteria they put in their mouth that causes the diarrhoea,’’ she said.
According to her, teething in infant can begin from three months of age, even though the first tooth usually does not appear until about six months of age.
She listed some of the symptoms of teething to include mild fever, sore gum, lack of appetite, sleeplessness and slight rise in temperature.
The paediatrician said that teething babies try to chew any object they find to help relieve the pressure on their gums.
She added that the child might refuse to sleep and eat due to the pain.
She advised parents to give pain killers and ensure to keep the teething baby hydrated.
“Breastfeeding can be really soothing for a baby who is unhappy or in pain,’’ she said. (NAN)
UMD/JEO/MST
Edited by Janefrances Oraka/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

General news

Stop trimming newborn nails by biting – Paediatrician warns

Stop trimming newborn nails by biting – Paediatrician warns
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Nails
Lagos, March 28, 2019 (NAN) A Paediatrician, Dr Okiemute Olibamoyo, has warned mothers against trimming the nails of their newborns’ by biting to avoid biting off the babies’ flesh and contracting diseases.
Olibamoyo of the Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.
According to her, it is wiser to use nail cutter specified for babies to trim their nails.
“The dangers with mothers biting off their babies nails is that they can inflict wounds; and inadvertently bite off some flesh that can cause wounds on the fingers of the baby; and these wounds can get infected.
“Because babies don’t have enough immunity to fight these infection, there may be need for drugs either orally or there may be need for hospital admission for extreme situation,’’ Olibamoyo said.
The paediatrician also cautioned mothers to stop the habit of applying breast milk on open wounds.
She said there was no scientifically proven benefit of applying breast milk on wounds.
She said however that there were some unorthodox practices that were being carried out including people applying breast milk on wounds, but added that it is not evidence-based.
“Breast milk can be a culture medium for bacteria to thrive when put on nails.
“It may just attract bacteria and it may cause infection on the nail. So we should shy away from applying breast milk on open wounds.
“It is best such wounds are taken to a healthcare practitioner, who examines it and properly administers drugs,’’ she said.
Olibamoyo said aside breast milk ensuring optimal growth of babies, it had proven natural antibodies like iron and immunoglobulin, which are of five types.
According to her, immunoglobulin A is abundant in breast milk and helps in preventing severe chest infection as well as diarrhoea in babies.
She advised mothers to see the need to exclusively breastfeed their babies especially in the first six months of life to continue up to at least when the babies were two years.
She said also that breast milk contained some fatty acids which were needed at that newborn period for optimal brain growth and development.
Besides, she said it improved cognition, quicker recovery during illness and reduced the risk of developing obesity which was another form of malnutrition. (NAN)
LED/JEO/MST
Edited by Janefrances Oraka/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Report strange health symptoms in children – Paediatrician

Report strange health symptoms in children – Paediatrician
By Toba Ajayi
Children
Ilorin, Jan. 15, 2019 (NAN) Dr Mosunmola Folorunsho, a Paediatrician, has advised parents and guardians to pay greater attention to the health of their children, especially when some strange health symptoms began to emerge, by quickly seeking medical intervention.
Folorunsho, who is the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Children Specialist Hospital, Ilorin, gave the advice during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Tuesday.
She noted that some parents and guardians were too careless and insensitive in handling their children health status.
“Some parents practice self medications at home and wait till situation get worse before rushing children to hospital.
“Present them to the hospital when you observe any strange symptoms and stop killing innocent children,” she advised.
The paediatrician also called on parents to limit exposure of children to dust particles and other forms of air pollution to avoid respiratory infection.
She advised parents to ensure appropriate clothing for their children due to inclement weather. (NAN)
LEX/KTO/MST
Edited by Kamal Tayo Oropo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Paediatrician harps on wrong assumption of child health

Paediatrician harps on wrong assumption of child health
By Lydia Ngwakwe
Mothers
Lagos, Oct. 30, 2018 (NAN) A Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Fatunke Fatoye, has advised mothers not to always assume that indications like fever, vomiting and abdominal pains in children were malaria symptoms.
Fatoye of the Department of Paediatrics, Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to him, these symptoms can also be showing that the child has a condition known as “Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis (AAC)’’.
“Acute Acalculous Cholecystitis is a disease that affects the gall bladder; the gall bladder is a small sack that is attached to the liver that helps digestion.
“It also helps to store bile, which helps digestion.
“Though the condition is rare, but when it occurs, people may not think that it is AAC since it is not common; it is more in adults that children.
“But, if you find a child having fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, yellowness of the eyes, quickly seek a doctor’s attention.
“These symptoms can be misguided for malaria; and this is an advice for mothers who assume the health condition of their children when they see these signs without proper diagnosis.
“For people to know how the gall bladder looks like is why I like using slaughtering of chicken as example; there is this sack that must not burst inside the chicken when slaughtering, if it burst, the whole meet will be bitter, that is the gall bladder.
“So, the sack can become diseased; and some of the things that may point to that would be the child may be sick and he may be having pains from the right upper part of the tummy,’’ Fatoye said.
He enjoined parents to always pay attention to their children whenever they complain of pain on the right part of the abdomen particularly if they had yellowness of the eyes.
According to him, it can be a pointer that the child has stone in the sack and the sack is diseased.
Fatoye said having a yellow eye may be a pointer to numerous kinds of conditions, adding that infections that affect the gall bladder may be one of them.
He said that if the infection was a long time infection, the stone might probably cause gall bladder cancer because anything that causes irritation for a long time might cause cancer.
The consultant said severe malnutrition was also one of the causes of AAC in children, urging mothers to ensure their children are fed with the right nutrient.
Besides, he advised mothers to avoid feeding their children fatty foods high in cholesterol content such as meat pie, biscuits and sausages.
He said lifestyle change in diet and weight loss is the most effective ways to prevent gallstones in the sack, adding obesity is an increased risk factor. (NAN)
LED/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Paediatrician warns against intake of caffeine during breastfeeding

Paediatrician warns against intake of caffeine during breastfeeding
By Ummul Idris
Caffeine
Abuja, Oct. 9, 2018 (NAN) A Paediatrician, Dr Anna Shafe, has warned women against excessive intake of caffeine during breastfeeding.
The paediatrician told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that a small amount of caffeine often ends in breast milk.
She said that though it was safe to have caffeine during breastfeeding, but stressed that over consumption of it could spell danger.
According to her, though the caffeine you eat and drink does end up in your breast milk, most research suggests that amount is less than one per cent of what you ingest.
She said that caffeine intake by women should be limited, adding that a nursing mother should reduce caffeine intake to 300 milligrams daily.
According to her, if you do have more than one cup a day, minimise the amount in your breast milk at any one time by spreading your coffee intake over the course of the day.
She noted that women could also opt for espresso drinks such as lattes that have less caffeine than regular brewed coffee.
“It is very unlikely that your baby will show any effects from the caffeine you drink, but if you feel strongly that your baby is excessively cranky after you drink coffee, you can try an admittedly challenging experiment.
“Take caffeine out of your diet for a week and see if there is a change in your baby’s behaviour.
“You can also put caffeine back into your diet and see if the baby reverts back to the irritability, if she does, you have your answer,’’ Shafe said.
She said “when caffeine enters your bloodstream, a small amount of it usually less than 1 per cent ends up in your breast milk’’.
The paediatrician said that to manage your caffeine intake, there is need to be aware of the sources.
Shafe added that other sources like tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate and coffee ice cream must be taken into consideration.
She however regretted that caffeine also showed up in herbal products and over-the-counter drugs. (NAN)
UMD/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Malnutrition, leading cause of death among children – Paediatrician

Malnutrition, leading cause of death among children – Paediatrician
By Ummul Idris
Malnutrition
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) Dr Anna Shafe, a Paediatrician, has attributed the leading cause of death among children less than three years to malnutrition.
Shafe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that half of all deaths in children less than three years had malnutrition as the underlying cause.
According to her, these children will have recovered from common child diseases if they had not been malnourished, but because they are malnourished they die.
She noted that management of severe acute malnutrition focuses mainly on reducing mortality.
She however said that management of moderate acute malnutrition was more focused on preventing mortality by reducing further deterioration of nutritional status.
The paediatrician described malnutrition as multifaceted, adding that it encompasses both over nutrition which is mainly associated with overweight and obesity.
She added that under nutrition, which is another term in malnutrition, referred to multiple conditions including acute and chronic malnutrition and micro nutrient deficiencies.
She noted that chronic malnutrition results from insufficient intake or absorption of essential nutrients over a protracted period.
According to her, the most commonly used indicator of chronic malnutrition is associated with developmental impairments and reduced economic potential later in life.
She said that micro nutrient deficiency was a form of chronic malnutrition that could have marked impacts on health, development and productivity, over the lifespan.
She said that the impacts of chronic malnutrition were particularly pronounced when they occurred in the first years of life, which she said was a period of rapid growth and development.
According to her, acute malnutrition results from sudden reductions in food intake or diet quality and is often combined with pathological causes. (NAN)
UMD/OOA/MST
Edited by Olabisi Akinbode/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Paediatrician warns nursing mothers against smoking

Paediatrician warns nursing mothers against smoking
By Ummul Idris
Smoking
Abuja, May 31, 2018 (NAN) Dr Annabel Shafe, a paediatrician, has warned nursing mothers to stop smoking as there are potential dangers for babies inhailing the fumes from the cigarette.
Shafe gave the warning in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja in commemoration of the World No Tobacco Day.
According to her, exposing toddlers and small children to cigarette smoke could lead to coughs, stuffy nose, chest cold and ear infection.
She added that if the habit was prolonged, it could lead to lungs cancer, heart disease and eye disease, among others.
She said that tiny particles of pollutants found in cigarette smoke contain chemicals which were in large numbers and dangerous.
The expert said that babies and other young children were more susceptible to the smoke than adults because their lungs are still developing.
“When a mother smokes any place toxic particulate from tobacco smoke gets into your hair, skin and clothing which can still be inhaled and prove harmful to infants and children.
“And by the time you come into contact with your baby, even if you’re not smoking at the time, the baby comes in contact with those toxins can have a serious effect.
“Even if you go outside to smoke or use fan to clear away smoke in the room after smoking the smoke linger on fabrics and dust in a room after smoke has cleared.
“A small amount of exposure to this kind of pollutant can bring problems in children, many parents under estimate the dangers perceiving smoke could impose,” she said.
She added that toddlers and children were vulnerable to exposure to smoke that can linger for hours in a place, because they are likely to touch or try to eat contaminated surfaces.
However, she noted that breast feeding is very important to the baby because of the natural protection it gives to baby. (NAN)
UMD/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Paediatrician warns against use of herbal mixtures

Paediatrician warns against use of herbal mixtures
NAN-HG-5
Treatment
By Ugonne Uzoma
Owerri, Aug. 29, 2017 (NAN) A Paediatrician, Dr Kevin Okafor, has warned against the use of herbal mixtures for treating children.
Okafor gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Owerri on Tuesday.
He warned herbal concoctions could lead to kidney failure in children.
He said that the use of the mixture could also worsen the symptoms of conditions for which it was being used, often resulting in Steven Johnson syndrome.
Okafor noted that parents were fond of using herbal mixtures for the treatment of conditions such as measles, foot and mouth diseases including chicken pox in children, without realising its risks.
“Parents are often misinformed by persons who claim to be experienced in such matters, often insisting on using this mixture for treating measles and chicken pox.
“The myth is that the rashes have to `come out’ fully; and this can only be achieved with the use of herbal mixtures.
“It is a risky practice and we advise parents against it to avoid kidney failure and Steven Johnson syndrome,” he said.
The medical practitioner also warned against self-medication especially when it concerned children, noting that the effects are often fatal in children.
“We warn parents on the dangers of giving drugs to their children without the recommendation of their paediatrician.
“Even if your child presents with a symptom that is similar to a past illness, don’t be quick to give the same drugs you were given previously without consulting a paediatrician.
“The effects of self-medication are worse in children, even fatal sometimes,” he said. (NAN)
UOI/FLP/MST
Edited by Folorunso Poroye/Muhammad Suleiman Tola