Marked variability in institutional deliveries and neonatal outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the interventions to mitigate its spread impacted access to healthcare, including hospital births and newborn care. This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on newborn service utilization in Nigeria.

Methods: The records of women who delivered in hospitals and babies admitted to neonatal wards were retrospectively reviewed before (March 2019-February 2020) and during (March 2020-February 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in selected facilities in Nigeria.

Epidemiology of community-acquired acute kidney injury in children as seen in an emergency room of Tertiary Hospital in South-South Nigeria.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an abrupt or rapid decline in renal function as evidenced by a rapid rise in serum creatinine (SCr) or decrease in urine output. AKI occurs in children. The aim of the study is to document the epidemiology of AKI in our setting.

Cost implication of CPAP use in low resource settings, surmounting the oxygen administration challenge.

Purpose: Newborn respiratory support using Bubble Continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) has become acceptable in Nigeria as many centers are increasingly reporting its usefulness. There is increasing access to CPAP devices although the use of 100% oxygen for bCPAP administration is on the rise as oxygen/air blenders are not commonly available or insufficient. The cost of oxygen has become a significant contributor to hospital bills.

Newborn resuscitation practices and paucity of resuscitative devices in Nigeria; a call to action.

Background: Neonatal resuscitation is a method of preventing morbidities & mortality from asphyxia. Up to 85% of facilities in sub-Saharan Africa lack supplies or skilled personnel for neonatal resuscitation. Relative to the place of birth and the skill of the birth attendant, a variety of resuscitative practice are employed to make babies cry instead of helping the baby breathe.

The scope and extent of exogenous surfactant utilization in Nigerian health care facilities: benefits of its regular use to outcome of premature babies.

Surfactant replacement therapy (SRT) is the standard of care in developed countries. Poor access to surfactant limits its use in low resource settings. The extent of its use and the effect of its regular use on the preterm in such settings is unknown.

A Multi-centre Survey of Acceptability of Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria.

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major genetic disease that manifests early in life and may lead to significant morbidities. One of the health care services that have been effective in reducing the burden of SCD in developed countries is newborn screening (NBS) followed by pneumococcal vaccines, penicillin prophylaxis, and hydroxyurea treatment. Yet, in sub-Saharan African countries, where about 75% of annual affected babies worldwide are born, NBS programmes are largely unavailable.

Preliminary Evaluation of a Point-of-Care Testing Device (SickleSCAN™) in Screening for Sickle Cell Disease.

Sickle cell disease affects about 150,000 births annually in Nigeria. Early diagnosis is hampered by factors such as centralized and urban localization of laboratories, high cost of diagnostic equipment and inadequate skilled manpower to operate them. The need for a low-cost, portable, easy-to-use diagnostic test for sickle cell disease is critical, especially in resource-poor countries.

Neonatal Jaundice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons and Future Directions from the 2015 Don Ostrow Trieste Yellow Retreat.

Severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, defined as total serum bilirubin (TSB) ≥20 mg/dl, is associated with a higher risk of permanent neurological sequelae and death. Jaundice can and should be promptly diagnosed and treated. Reliable methods for TSB assay are not always readily available, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, making the true incidence of severe neonatal jaundice (NNJ) difficult to estimate.

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and Rhesus disease of the newborn: incidence and impairment estimates for 2010 at regional and global levels.

Background: Rhesus (Rh) disease and extreme hyperbilirubinemia (EHB) result in neonatal mortality and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment, yet there are no estimates of their burden.

Methods: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were undertaken of national prevalence, mortality, and kernicterus due to Rh disease and EHB. We applied a compartmental model to estimate neonatal survivors and impairment cases for 2010.

Thyroid profile of term appropriate for gestational age neonates in Nigeria: a forerunner to screening for congenital hypothyroidism.

Thyroid hormones in normal quantity are vital for physical growth and mental development during fetal and postnatal life. The available publications in Sub-Saharan Africa on the thyroid function of newborn infants was reported in babies delivered in moderate to severe goitre zones; utilizing the hormone levels from these studies may have a measure of bias. Newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) in Sub-Saharan Africa is still a mirage, the technicality of the best timing for collection of blood samples need to be studied.

Adverse perinatal conditions in hearing-impaired children in a developing country.

Prevailing adverse perinatal conditions in developing countries have been associated with substantial mortality, but little evidence exists on their impact on permanent childhood disabilities and morbidity due to limitations in clinical investigations and medical records. This study aims to identify the possible association between parent-reported adverse perinatal conditions and permanent hearing loss, in order to establish service needs within current maternal and child health programmes. Structured questionnaires were administered to 363 parents of deaf children and 309 parents of normal-hearing children in an inner city area of Lagos, Nigeria.

Early hearing detection at immunization clinics in developing countries.

Early hearing detection has become a standard of neonatal care in most parts of the developed world. A growing number of developing countries are also currently exploring practical and culturally appropriate options for early hearing detection. Recent findings from on-going infant hearing screening programs in Nigeria and South Africa suggest that hearing screening programs are feasible if integrated into early childhood immunization programs in developing countries, especially where a significant number of births occur outside regular hospitals.