Objective: To describe the pattern of morbidity and mortality as seen at the Emergency Paediatric Unit of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Methods: A retrospective study in which records of admissions over a two-year period were obtained from the medical and ward records. Information retrieved included age, sex, diagnosis, duration of stay in the unit and outcome. Results: A total of 3,261 patients aged between 29 days and 16 years were admitted into the Children Emergency Room during the period. Of these, 1,835 (56.3%) were males while 1,426 (43.7%) were females. The total number of underfives admitted was 2,289 (70.2% of total admissions). The major causes of admission were malaria (44.4%), respiratory tract infections (17.8%) and gastroenteritis with moderate or severe dehydration (10.1%). There were 992 (30.4%) discharges while 2,126 (65.2%) were transferred tothe paediatric wards for further management. One hundred and forty-three (4.4%) patients died during the period with over 80% being children five years or less. Severe malaria accounted for the largest number of deaths (29.4%) in the unit, followed by meningitis (16.9%) and septicaemia (15.4%) with over 80% of the deaths being from infectious diseases. Conclusion: Infectious diseases are still the major causes of morbidity and mortality especially in underfives in our locality. The role of environmental sanitation, health education and good nutrition in the health of the child must be brought to the fore. The nation's immunisation schedule should include vaccines against infectious organisms like Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae which are major causes of pneumonia and meningitis in childhood. Also, a boost in the coverage of our health insurance scheme would be a step in the right direction.

The need for female education is again emphasized. The current findings strongly justify the need for public enlightenment programs, using the mass media and health talks in health facilities, targeting not only women of reproductive age but also secondary audience like their mothers, mothers-in-law, nurses, and attendants at health facilities. Proper hygiene including proper hand washing techniques while caring for newborns along with vaccination of infants and their mothers will help prevent infections including tetanus while prompt health-seeking behavior is advised to improve outcome should such infections occur.

In developing countries, individual cases and epidemics of cord infections continue to occur, even in supposedly clean nurseries for newborns. The hazards of poor cord care are not limited to predisposition to infections. There is also the risk of bleeding from the cord which can be rapidly fatal. Empirical observation suggests that harmful traditional cord care practices abound in our community, thus placing newborn babies at risk of morbidity and mortality. In spite of this, there is paucity of data on cord care practices in developing countries 6 1 2,3 4,5 Abhulimhen-Iyoha BI Ofili A, Ibadin MO c l a m p (2 2. 7 %) t o s e c u r e haemostasis at the umbilical stump. Other materials used include suture materials, strips of cloth, bandage, plaster and rubber band. Majority of the mothers practiced hand washing before (86.9%) and after (89.3%) cord care. The traditional practices of cord care in Benin City include the use of hot compress (46.1%), menthol-containing balm, herbs, native chalk, petroleum jelly, palm oil, toothpaste (), salt, sand and saliva. The most common single agent for cord treatment was alcohol (methylated spirit). The attendant risks associated with harmful cord care practices remain real in our communities. There is need for education of the public, using the mass media and health talks in health facilities, to discourage harmful cord care practices while reinforcing beneficial ones. Umbilical cord, Care practices, Mothers, Benin City. Introduction Close-up Conclusion:

Background: Human breast milk is the most healthful form of milk for human babies. Every infant deserves the best possible start in life in terms of nutrition by breastfeeding or receiving donated human milk. Breast milk is very important for the infant’s growth and well-being that the non-availability of the mother should not deprive the infant from its benefits. To enhance the availability and use of human breast milk for hospitalized babies whose mothers may not have enough milk, there is the need to embark on human milk banking.Objective: To determine the perception of mothers towards breast milk banking in Benin City, Nigeria.Subjects and Methods: The study subjects included 198 mothers who brought their babies to Well Baby/Immunization Clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Benin City, Nigeria. A structured researcheradministered questionnaire was used to assess their biodata, awareness and perception of breast milk banking.Results: The mean age of the mothers was 29.8 ± 5.5 years with 46.5% having some form of tertiary education and 48.5% having secondary education. Only 51 (25.8%) of them had heard of breast milk banking; source of information being mainly from health workers (43.1%) and from friends (27.5%). Majority 168 (84.8%) of the mothers would not give their babies human milk donated by another nursing mother mainly because of fear of transmission of infections/diseases. Most 105 (53.0%) were also unwilling to donate breast milk to be used for other babies due to the fact that they disliked the idea (51.4%) and because of fear of not having enough for their own babies (16.1%). However, most (59.1%) strongly agreed that human milk banking would help assist mothers in need, orphans and abandoned babies.Conclusion/Recommendation: The awareness of human milk banking and its acceptance among mothers in Benin City is poor. The current findings strongly justify the need for public enlightenment on human milk banking and its benefits.Key words: Breast milk banking, mothers, Perception

Abstract:Background: Fever is a very common presenting complaint in children and is of great diagnostic importance. The presence of fever in a child which is often determined by tactile assessment is a major source of concern to caregivers necessitating either the use of medications and /or hospital visitation. Objective: To test the reliability of tactile assessment of fever by mothers and to ascertain if palpation of a single site or multiple sites affects the accuracy. Method: The study was conducted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City between July and September 2009 and involved 359 children aged six months to five years. Each child had a tactile assessment of fever by the mother after which the patient's axillary temperature was measured and documented. Results: One hundred and forty-five mothers (40.4%) palpated multiple sites while 214 mothers (59.6%) palpated a single site. Of those that palpated a single site, the head was the most frequently used site (31%) while the groin was the least used site (0.5%). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of mother's perception of fever using a single site were 89.2%, 64.3%, 56.9% and 91.8% respectively while for mothers who used multiple sites were 89.4%, 55.7%, 62.8% and 86.3% respectively. No significant difference was found when the values were compared. Conclusion: Tactile assessment is still a relevant tool in the determination of the presence of fever in children. The use of one or more anatomical sites does not affect its accuracy.