Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Pediatric Cerebral Palsy In Africa: Where Are We?, Kirsten A. Donald, Angelina M. Kakooza, Robinson D. Wammanda, Macpherson Mallewa, Pauline Samia, Haydar Babakir, David Bearden, Annette Majnemer, Darcy Fehlings, Michael Shevell, Harry Chugani, Jo M. Wilmshurst

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability in children worldwide. However, little is reported on this condition in the African context. Doctors from 22 countries in Africa, and representatives from a further 5 countries outside Africa, met to discuss the challenges in the evaluation and management of children with cerebral palsy in Africa and to propose service needs and further research. Basic care is limited by the poor availability of diagnostic facilities or medical personnel with experience and expertise in managing cerebral palsy, exacerbated by lack of available interventions such as medications, surgical procedures, or even regular …

Pediatric Cerebral Palsy In Africa: A Systematic Review, Kirsten A. Donald, Pauline Samia, Angelina Kakooza-Mwesige, David Bearden

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Cerebral palsy is a common neurologic problem in children and is reported as occurring in approximately 2-2.5 of 1000 live births globally. As is the case with many pediatric neurologic conditions, very little has been reported on this condition in the African context. Resource-limited settings such as those found across the continent are likely to result in a different spectrum of etiologies, prevalence, severity as well as management approaches. This review aims to establish what has been reported on this condition from the African continent so as to better define key clinical and research questions.

Implementation And Evaluation Of The Helping Babies Breathe Curriculum In Three Resource Limited Settings: Does Helping Babies Breathe Save Lives? A Study Protocol, Akash Bang, Roopa Bellad, Peter Gisore, Patricia Hibberd, Archana Patel, Shivaprasad Goudar, Fabian Esamai, Norman Goco, Sreelatha Meleth, Richard J. Derman, Edward A. Liechty, Elizabeth Mcclure, Waldemar A. Carlo, Linda L. Wright

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Neonatal deaths account for over 40% of all under-5 year deaths; their reduction is increasingly critical for achieving Millennium Development Goal 4. An estimated 3 million newborns die annually during their first month of life; half of these deaths occur during delivery or within 24 hours. Every year, 6 million babies require help to breathe immediately after birth. Resuscitation training to help babies breathe and prevent/manage birth asphyxia is not routine in low-middle income facility settings. Helping Babies Breathe (HBB), a simulation-training program for babies wherever they are born, was developed for use in low-middle income countries. We evaluated …

Prevalence And Outcomes Of Acute Kidney Injury In Term Neonates With Perinatal Asphyxia, Dan Alaro, Bashir Admani, Lucy Wainaina, Rachel Musoke

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: The kidney is the most damaged organ in asphyxiated full-term infants. The severity of its damage is corre­lated with the severity of neurological damage. We determined the prevalence of perinatal asphyxia-associated acute kidney injury (AKI).

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study including 60 full-term neonates admitted at the Kenyatta National Hospital newborn unit (NBU) in Nairobi with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) from June 2012 to November 2012. Renal function was assessed by measuring serum creatinine on day 3 of life. AKI was defined by a level of creatinine above 133 μmol/l. The degree of neurological impairment was determined …

Models Of Care For Orphaned And Separated Children And Upholding Children's Rights: Cross-Sectional Evidence From Western Kenya, Lonnie Embleton, David Ayuku, Allan Kamanda, Lukoye Atwoli, Samuel Ayaya, Rachel Vreeman, Winstone Nyandiko, Peter Gisore, Julius Koech, Paula Braitstein

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa is home to approximately 55 million orphaned children. The growing orphan crisis has overwhelmed many communities and has weakened the ability of extended families to meet traditional care-taking expectations. Other models of care and support have emerged in sub-Saharan Africa to address the growing orphan crisis, yet there is a lack of information on these models available in the literature. We applied a human rights framework using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to understand what extent children's basic human rights were being upheld in institutional vs. community- or family-based care settings in …

Randomised Double Blind Study To Compare Effectiveness Of Honey, Salbutamol And Placebo In Treatment Of Cough In Children With Common Cold, Adil Waris, William Macharia, E. K. Njeru, F. Essajee

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Acute upper respiratory infection is the most common childhood illness and presents with cough, coryza and fever. Available evidence suggests that cough medicines may be no more effective than honey-based cough remedies.

Objective: To compare effectiveness of honey, salbutamol and placebo in the treatment of cough in children with acute onset cough.

Design: Randomised control trial

Setting: Aga Khan University Hospital Paediatric Casualty

Subjects: Children between ages one to twelve years presenting with a common cold between December 2010 and February 2012 were enrolled.

Outcome measures: Frequency, severity and extent to which cough bothered and disturbed child and parental …

Child Road Traffic Crash Injuries At The Red Cross War Memorial Children’S Hospital In Cape Town South Africa In 1992, 2002 And 2012, Isaac Kihurani, Ashley Van Niekerk, Arjan Bastiaan Van As

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Road traffic crashes are a significant cause of the disease burden among children, with the highest mortality in low- and middle-income countries. This observational study explores such injuries in Cape Town, South Africa through an analysis of data for cases in 1992, 2002 and 2012 at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, a referral paediatric hospital for children younger than 13 years. Descriptive and time trend analysis of demographic data as well as of the causes, severity and place of injury was conducted. Logistic regression and generalised linear models described factors influencing hospital admission. In the years 1992, 2002 …

Toward The Development Of The International Classification Of Functioning Core Sets For Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Global Expert Survey, Veronica Schiariti, Louise C. Masse, Alarcos Cieza, Anne F. Klassen, Karen Sauve, Robert Armstrong, Maureen O’Donnell

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

The goal of the International Classification of Functioning is to standardize the classification of health and function of children around the world. To facilitate the application of this classification, International Classification of Functioning-based tools like the "Core Sets" are being developed. We conducted an international survey of professional experts to identify the most relevant areas of functioning in children with cerebral palsy. The questionnaire covered each component of the classification. In total, 193 professionals completed the survey (response rate 78%). Overall, 9706 answers were linked to the classification (pediatric version) by 2 professionals. From the experts' perspective, movement-related areas and …

Immunization Manual For Medical And Nursing Students ''Hepatitis B Disease'', Rose Kamenwa

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Approximately 350 – 400 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV ), and approximately 1 million die annually of HBV -related disease. The worldwide prevalence of hepatitis B virus ranges from 0.1% to 20%). This wide range is largely due to differences in age at the time of infection. Following acute HBV infection, the risk of developing chronic infection varies inversely with age: 90% for perinatal infection, 25–35% for infection at age 1–5 years and less than 10% for adults. About 45% of the world population live in areas where chronic HBV is highly endemic …