A recurrent experience at a drug rehabilitation centre in Nairobi still haunts me. It occurred to me that drug abuse had stretched to all types of homes, neighbourhoods and schools. Read more…
Ms Faith Barasa’s failed search for internship after her third year of study at Moi University was to become a blessing for children suffering from Retinoblastoma. Barasa, a fourth year micro-enterprise Management student, had a lot of free time. A goodwill volunteer, she sought a place to expend her energies. Read more…
Medics could not tell the sex of her child after she delivered at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) early this year. Read more…
Resistance is growing against the strongest treatment for children with malaria in Kenya, reports the journal of Infectious Tropical Diseases.
The fixed dosed Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) syrup is regarded as the most effective paediatric drug.
Another study shows growing resistance of malaria parasites in western Cambodia to arteminisinin-based pesticides. Research in last month’s edition of New England Journal of Medicine confirms that it takes longer to clear the parasites in the blood of Cambodian patients.
In the new study, researchers studied 40 patients in western Cambodia and north-western Thailand. While it took 48 hours for the parasite to be cleared from Thai patients, clearance took 84 hours in the Cambodian patients the study showed. Infection recurrence rates were also higher in the Cambodian patients.
Its not 100 per cent resistance, but the parasites are much less sensitive or partly resistant,” lead author Arjen M Dondorp told scidev.net, an online publication on science and development. “That is very worrying because that is the big step to complete resistance.
The WHO essential medicines list is predominantly for adults. “Children cannot be treated as little adults when it comes to medicines, says Dr J L Amugada, a leading Nairobi paediatrician. Paediatric formulation are prepared according to the body weight of the child-patient and it guarantees better therapy fidelity.
Published on the Standard on 13/08/2009 By Dann Okoth
There is growing evidence that nutrition therapy can make a big difference to children with autism.
Autism is a condition involving abnormalities of brain development and behaviour, which manifests itself before a child is three years old.
It is characterised by impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviour.
Many autistic children have severely disrupted digestion, so restoring balance is a major focus.
Many parents have reported that their child received repeated or prolonged courses of antibiotic drugs for ear or other respiratory infections during their first year, before diagnosis of autism. Broad-spectrum antibiotics kill good and bad bacteria in the gut, weakening the intestinal membranes. This can lead to leaky gut syndrome, in which large molecules that should not be absorbed through the gut membrane get through.
If your child has autism, restoring a healthy gut is vital. You can start simply, by supplementing digestive enzymes, and giving probiotics. The measures heal the digestive tract and promote normal absorption.
There is much overlap between hyperactivity and autism, so for autistic children who show signs of hyperactivity, improving blood sugar balance is crucial.
When a child regularly snacks on refined carbohydrates, sweets, chocolate, fizzy drinks, juices and little or no fibre , the levels of glucose in their blood will seesaw continually and trigger wild fluctuations in their levels of activity, concentration, focus and behaviour and affect brain function.
Deficiencies in essential fats are common and an autistic child is likely to need a higher intake of essential fats. It has been found that supplementing EPA, which can slow the activity of the defective enzyme and improve behaviour. Vitamins B6, C and magnesium supplements significantly improve symptoms. Keep a food diary and note your child’s behaviours and symptoms alongside all the foods they’re eating. This can help to identify which of the usual suspects they are sensitive.
Kenya is among the top 10 countries with the highest proportion of childhood pneumonia in the world.
Other African countries in this group are Ethiopia, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The rest are in Asia.
These countries, says the World Health Organisation, account for 66 per cent of pneumonia cases worldwide.
The WHO study, published this week in The Lancet, a medical journal, attributes the high incidence of pneumonia to lack of vaccines, a high prevalence of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection and poor access to medical care.
However, this may change after the national head of immunisation, Dr Tatu Kamau, promised that by next year a vaccine will be available in all public hospitals at no cost.
Currently, the pneumonia vaccine is available in the private sector for Sh12,000.
The disease is estimated to kill 30,000 children annually. In areas where malaria is not endemic, pneumonia is the leading killer of children under five, while it comes second in malaria endemic areas.
The other contributory factor for the high incidence of pneumonia is the many cases of undiagnosed and untreated cases of sickle cell anaemia.
A study carried out in Kilifi by the Kenya Medical Research Centre and the Wellcome Trust Programme, established that children with sickle cell anaemia were at greater risk of getting pneumonia.
In what has been described as the biggest study of its kind in Africa, the researchers screened 40,000 admissions at Kilifi district hospital between 1998 and 2008.
They estimated that in Kilifi alone, up to a quarter of all child deaths may be attributable to sickle cell anaemia because of susceptibility to bacterial infections such as pneumonia and meningitis.
It’s important to understand that for at least their first six months, children have no concept of actions as ‘naughty’.
It’s a learning curve A young baby is unable to work out that crying can annoy you and they can’t decide to stop because you’re upset or angry.
When your baby touches the video or TV controls, it’s because they’re exploring and trying to learn how things work - they’ve no idea it might irritate adults.
Even as your baby gets a little older, she’ll still have a very short memory. Once something has happened, it’s ‘over’ for babies. They won’t remember that yesterday you told them not to do a particular thing.
It’s natural for babies to be curious about the world around them. They’ll do most exploring by touch and can’t resist touching TV sets, photo frames, ornaments or anything within reach. ‘Baby proofing’ your home is a good way to prevent accidents and help you keep your sanity in their early exploring days. See our feature Keeping baby safe.
Key points about guiding your baby It’s not possible to ’spoil’ young babies - when they cry they need immediate attention, so don’t hold back.
Babies cannot be ‘naughty’ in the sense of doing things on purpose to upset you.
Under-ones do not have very long-term memories. Just because you told your baby yesterday not to do something, it doesn’t mean she won’t be tempted to try it over and over again today - she simply can’t help herself. She may be interested in your reaction… over and over again.
If you want to stop your baby doing something, the best way is quickly to distract and divert her on to a different activity. If you offer a toy, she should happily hand over the keys you need. If you take her to the window to see what’s happening outside, she’ll quickly forget that the video was her next adventure. If your baby is trying to eat your cat’s food, pick her up and offer something more suitable!
Actions always speak loudest. Distraction works better than shouting, telling off or smacking.
Introducing limits and guiding As babies get a bit older - about nine months to one year - you can start to guide them. You can begin to teach your baby the behaviour you expect and the difference between right and wrong. Even when your baby begins to understand what is meant by “no”, she won’t always do what you want. She won’t really understand how others feel for a long time yet, and can’t work out that what she’s doing could make you cross - so there’s absolutely no point in punishments.
Praise your baby - she still won’t understand why certain things seem to upset you. Giving plenty of praise and attention to the behaviour you do like and want to encourage works better than telling off about behaviour you don’t like. If you have to say “no”, keep it to times when you need a quick reaction - for example, when your child is about to touch something hot. If you say “no” a lot your baby will get used to it and won’t react. Remember, babies will think “no” is a game if you end up laughing when you say it.
Be consistent - keep rules and limits the same from day to day. Build routines, such as regular mealtimes and bedtimes; these help your baby understand what you want.
Be positive - your baby will learn how to behave and get on with others by copying you. Here’s your chance to teach your child how to be kind and friendly just by being that way yourself.
Keep a sense of humour - it can be hard to be amused when you see your keys being thrown down the toilet, or the toilet roll being unravelled halfway around the house. Your patience will be tested when your baby goes back to the TV knobs for the 100th time, or tips the vegetable purée on the floor. Where possible, try to see the funny side of your older baby’s antics. Take a photo and think about saving up these memories to share at your child’s 18th birthday party. Remember, this phase is over all too soon.
Be realistic Don’t expect too much, too soon. It’s normal for a six-month-old baby to mess about with food, and it’s normal for a baby enjoying being on the move to want to touch everything. Babies will make lots of ‘mistakes’ because of their immaturity and lack of experience, it’s all part of how they learn.
All children gradually need to have limits set for them. It’s never OK, for example, to bite a brother or sister or to pull a friend’s hair.
For some babies it’s enough to say “don’t touch the video” or “please stop doing that”. Others will have to be physically lifted away. Always explain why the behaviour is not OK.
Remember, your baby learns by trial and error. She doesn’t know behaviour will annoy you. She only thinks “if I try doing this I wonder what will happen”, not “if I do it, I can make mummy and daddy mad”.
Quick tip Guiding and setting limits is not the same as punishment - it’s gradual teaching about how to behave, and it all takes time.