Background:Neonatal jaundice (NNJ) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among neonates in Nigeria and exchange blood transfusion (EBT) is a common modality of its treatment in Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital (EBSUTH), Abakaliki. This communication aims to audit this service.Materials and Methods:A 3-year retrospective review of the case files of all neonates that had EBT for NNJ at the new born special care unit of EBSUTH.Result:Two hundred and thirty seven (17.25%) out of 1374 neonatal admissions had NNJ. EBT was performed for 40 (16.9%) of them. The commonest indications for EBT were low birth weight/prematurity, ABO blood group incompatibility, sepsis and glucose 6 phosphate deficiencies. The mean serum bilirubin at which EBT was done was 28.3 mg/dl. The EBT was uneventful in 36 cases while in four (10%) cases there were reported adverse events. Seven neonates (17.5%) died after the procedure and documented causes of death include bilirubin encephalopathy, respiratory failure, and septic shock and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy.Conclusion:There is high rate of EBT use in the management of severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia with significant morbidity and mortality in this study site. There is need to review the contribution of factors such as late presentation in the hospital to this and proffer solutions to it.

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Background: Severe anaemia is a common childhood problem which is associated with various degrees of morbidity and mortality especially in children under five years of age. It remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Objectives: To determine the prevalence, aetiology and outcome of severe anaemia in children aged 6 months to 5 years. Methods: This was a prospective study of children less than 5 years that presented with severe anaemia at the Children's Emergency Unit and the Outpatient Department of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (EBSUTH), Abakaliki. Severe anaemia was defined as PCV ≤ 15%. Biodata of subjects selected included age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Laboratory tests carried out included haemoglobin levels, haemoglobin electrophoresis, blood film examination, blood culture, urinalysis, microscopy, and other relevant tests. Results: One hundred and forty subjects out of the 1450 patients admitted during the period of study had severe anaemia giving a prevalence rate of 9.7%. Majority of the patients (63.6%) were less than 2years of age. Malaria was the commonest cause of severe anaemia 64.3% (90). Other common causes included sickle cell anaemia 13 (9.3%), Septicemia 19 (13.6 %), and malnutrition 10 (7.1%). One hundred and seventeen (83.6%) patients recovered and were discharged home while 19 died giving mortality rate was 13.6%. Conclusion: The study revealed high prevalence of severe anaemia while malaria was observed to be the commonest cause among under-5 children seen at EBSUTH Abakaliki.

Background:Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common childhood infection in the Tropics which causes significant illness and is frequently missed, probably because of its non-specific presentation and similarity with other common illnesses.Objectives:To determine the prevalence, common etiological agents, and the susceptibility of these pathogens to the commonly available antimicrobial agents in this center.Materials and Methods:This was a retrospective study carried out at the Children's Outpatient Clinic and Children's Emergency Ward of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (EBSUTH). The study was carried out between January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009.Results:One hundred ten subjects of the 3625 children seen in the center during the period of study had UTI giving a case prevalence rate of 3.0%. Majority of the patients (59, 53.6%) were less than 2 years of age with a male:female ratio of 1:1.3. Fever was the commonest presenting symptom and the commonest organisms isolated in urine were Klebsiella (27, 24.5%), and Staphylococcus aureus (24, 21.8%). The drugs that were most sensitive to these organisms were Gentamicin (50, 45.5%), Ceftriaxone (49, 44.5%), and Ciprofloxacin (36, 32.7%).Conclusion:The study revealed a high prevalence of UTI among children. Klebsiella was the commonest causative organism isolated in the urine. Gentamicin, Ceftriaxone, and Ciprofloxacin were the antimicrobials with the highest sensitivity to all the isolated microorganisms.

BackgroundMajority of the oral diseases in children are preventable. The paediatricians owing to the unique position they occupy in child care are invaluable in achieving standard oral and dental healthcare in children. This study was aimed at assessing the paediatricians’ views on basic oral healthcare in children in Nigeria.MethodsThis was a cross sectional descriptive study. Respondents were paediatricians attending the 2015 Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Paediatric Association of Nigeria. Relevant information sought from the respondents included: socio- demographic characteristics, duration and location of practice; specific questions on knowledge of basic oral health care in children and recommendations for improvement in knowledge of oral and dental health among paediatricians based on standard clinical guidelines. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0 and presented in simple frequencies and percentages. Test of associations was done using chi- square while logistic regression analysis was used to determine significantly associated variables (p < 0.05).ResultsA total of 121 paediatricians were recruited. 108 (89.3 %) reported that children should be referred to dental health care when caregivers/older patients report dental problems (x2 = 9.377; p = 0.02). 53.7 % felt that examination of the oral cavity should be routine while 61 (50.4 %) of them reported that health education should be given to caregivers/mothers about nursing caries starting early in life. Majority of the respondents 66 (54.5 %) disapproved gum pad cleaning of young infants. 32 (26.4 %) suggested starting tooth brushing in infants as soon as a tooth appear in a child while 112 (92.6 %) recommended the disapproval of pacifiers in infants/younger children. 93 (76.9 %) were of the opinion that the paediatrician is competent in identifying and handling of basic oral health care in children. However, 108 (89.3 %) recommended that the current postgraduate curriculum in paediatrics should incorporate knowledge of basic oral health care in children.ConclusionMajority of the paediatricians were found to have limited knowledge about some basic oral health care in children. It is recommended that the current postgraduate training curriculum in paediatrics in our setting should incorporate knowledge of basic oral healthcare in children.