The continued denial of high cases of malnutrition in most parts of Southern Nigeria has spanned decades.

Unfortunately, this development has robbed many children of a good start in life and may destroy their hopes for adulthood. Good Health weekly x-rays the causes and silent burden of malnutrition in children in Oyo State.

In the intensive care ward of the Oni Memorial Children’s Hospital, Oyo lies 4 months old Bode Adelaja. At a tender age, Bode is manifesting symptoms of malnutrition such as saggy buttocks, weakness of the body, and a lean body with a sunken fontanel.
According to medical experts, Bode was diagnosed with failure to thrive which has to do with malnutrition in children under the age of six months.

At presentation at the hospital, Bode weighed 2.9, a weight too low for his age.
Bilikisu, his mother who took him to the hospital, had no idea the child was malnourished until doctors at the facility referred them to the malnutrition clinic in the same hospital where the baby’s indices were taken. It turned out that he was a failure to thrive case.

Bode was born at one of the health facilities in the state. He was healthy at birth. According to the mother, a month after his delivery, she noticed that he was losing weight and was not eating well.
“At first, I thought it was a child’s thing that would go away but as the days and weeks passed, the problem continued. I decided to take him to the alagbo (herb sellers) and we were given herbs to cook.

“I gave him the herbs but there was no improvement. People advised me to get Infant formula which I did because I was not lactating. Still, his eating did not improve.”
Bode; according to the mother, was placed on herbs for two months. “He bathes with it and also drinks some. We were also given another herb to put on his head as the opening on his head was getting wider. My child almost died.”

At this point, Bode was rushed to Oni Memorial Children’s Hospital where he was treated with only breast milk.
Unfortunately, despite the importance of breastmilk in the nutrition of babies, in Oyo, exclusive breastfeeding is still at a lower level of less than 30 per cent, according to the Director-General, State Primary Healthcare Board, Dr Kadija Omolara, while the 2017 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS put the rate at 49.5 per cent.
With less than 30 per cent, only 3 in 10 babies in Oyo are being breastfed exclusively.
Bode’s treatment
A Nutrition Officer, Mrs Feyemi Olawumi, described Bode’s case as similar to the malnutrition problem in the state, largely caused by the fact that many mothers in the state do not breastfeed their children well.
Olawunmi said most of the mothers do not breastfeed exclusively but do mix feeding on the pretex that they were not lactating well.
“When Bode was brought to the hospital. We discovered that his weight was too low for his age. He has a fontanel popularly called Oka in Yoruba language. The mother told us that they discovered that the baby was not growing well; they decided to put the baby on infant formula and some herbs.
“A child that is less than six months cannot be diagnosed with any of the varying degrees of malnutrition like stunting, wasting or undernutrition. At age four months, Bode, supposed to be weighing 6.3 kg and not 2.9 kg which is less than 50 per cent for the weight of a child of that age.
Out of ignorance a lot of children have died from dehydration, diarrhoea and other complications from malnutrition including sunken fontanel.
For 42-year-old mother of three, Bimpe Lawal, she could not believe that any of her children could be malnourished, but a recent experience convinced her after she almost lost her one year two weeks old child. Her only son was diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition.
“Sleep went away from my eyes. Watching my son waste away broke my heart,“ Bimpe who hail from Adeyipo, Lagelu Local government Area, Oyo State said amidst tears.
She told stories of how she tearfully watched the helpless situation she found her child.
Earlier, Bimpe was self-medicating. Sadly, all her efforts and treatments brought no relief to her child.
“My mother-in-law had brought some herbs but all to no avail. I did not know what was wrong with him but I tried my best.
“The trouble all started when my baby clocked one year and due to the nature of my job I was forced to stop breastfeeding. I started him on pap and milk but a week on, he stopped eatng.
“I changed to other cereals but he did not improve. My baby became thin and weak. He could no longer walk because even then he was learning to walk.”
“That was when I was asked to take him to the only children’s hospital in Oyo, Oni Memorial Children’s Hospital where he was treated with high-grade soy flower“
According to the Oyo State Nutrition Officer, Mrs Omolara Oladeji, malnutrition is commonplace across the 33 Local Government Areas of Oyo State due to ignorance of caregivers and mothers, promotion of infant formula etc. Oladeji who is also the Head, department, health promotion and Nutrition department, said the main cause of malnutrition in children in Oyo remains low exclusive breastfeeding, ignorance and the fact that many of the women cannot prepare a balanced meal for their children with locally available resources including poor feeding practices.
“In Oyo, many of the women claim they are not lactating well and therefore cannot do exclusive breastfeeding.”
400 cases treated
Oladeji who said the nutrition clinic was established with support from UNICEF 25 years ago, disclosed that high-grade soy is utilised in treating malnutrition free of charge at the centre.
She said a total of 400 children have been treated for malnutrition in the last year while over 50,000 children have been treated since the inception of the clinic.
Admission
“We only admit severely malnourished children but 90 per cent are managed on an outpatient basis. We have managed over 50,000 cases of malnutrition since the establishment of this centre.
“However, since the COVID outbreak, the number of children has been restricted. This year we have managed over 400 children with different degrees of malnutrition.”
Oladeji who acknowledged that malnutrition was a problem in the state described the situation as ‘worrisome.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/12/escalating-cases-of-malnutrition-in-oyo-urgent-cause-for-concern/

lalasticlala
OAM4j
dominique
Fulaman

We in the south should have embraced ruminant livestock rearing long ago.. the milk alone makes mother and offspring healthier.. its not by corn and cassava alone.

I am nutrition and Dietetics student. This article has helped me. I wish others would read to so that we know how we can come together and solve this problem.
Lalasticlala
Mynd44
Dominique Pls move to front page for our govt to see.

How many times are we going to read this recycled bunkum?

Lol, hooge IGR people. They have everything, that’s why SW is the best region in Obodo Nigeria . People will just continue to deliberately lie to themselves, giving themselves different titles while the situation on ground is different.

helinues:
How many times are we going to read this recycled bunkum?

Afonja

Nkitara:
Afonja

Yes, what can I do for you?

Malnutrition after dealing with afonja

helinues:


Yes, what can I do for you?

I need a skull for 2,500 bro. I know you won't fail me and I have my money on ground for this project

Nkitara:
I need a skull for 2,500 bro. I know you won't fail me and I have my money on ground for this project

Ipob/ESN cannibals should be able to provide you 1,000 of what you requested for within an hour. That's now their speciality

helinues:


Ipob/ESN cannibals should be able to provide you 1,000 of what you requested for with an hour. That's now their speciality

Afonja heads are more cheaper that's why bro, help a brother

Nkitara:
I need a skull for 2,500 bro. I know you won't fail me and I have my money on ground for this project

Go to biafraland,the land of cannibals for a menu of roasted head and thighs.

Nkitara:
Afonja heads are more cheaper that's why bro, help a brother

Have you seen any Afonja's caught with more than 5 ?

The Meth Ipob addicts turned cannibals have been arrested with more than 20 of what you are looking for. Which means it's cheaper and easy to get in the region they are operating.

I even heard there are now pepper soup joints for human meat in that region.. Leg soup dey, kidney soup dey, hand soup e.t.c dey

If I may ask, what do you need the thing for if you are not one of them?

helinues:
How many times are we going to read this recycled bunkum?

Omo ase

Okay

Na only Oyo state malnutrition dey?

You better feed your children in enugu before den join cannibalism...