Date: 2017-10-13

A Lecturer at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Ilorin, Prof. Kolade Ernest, said that studies have shown that malaria causes severe anaemia in 80 per cent of patients.

Ernest made the disclosure yesterday in his paper presentation at the 171st Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin, Ilorin. His lecture was entitled: "...And the child died, oh! no! not again: Adventures in Childhood Morbidity Prevention and Mortality Reduction."

The paediatrician, a lecturer at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, said five years old children were the most affected as they constitute 85.8 per cent of all children with severe anaemia.

He explained that during his research, an audit was carried out in the Emergency Paediatric Unit admissions, to evaluate those with severe anaemia at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).

According to him, 80 per cent of 5,790 patients with malaria at the UITH had severe anaemia.

"The risk of death from severe anaemia increased exponentially if transfusion was delayed beyond two hours of presentation," he said.

He observed that children with severe malaria, as identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO), were at risk of death and have symptoms, which included impaired consciousness.

Others, he said, included multiple convulsion, renal impairment, jaundice, significance bleeding, shock and hyperparasitaemia.

He pointed out that for many years malaria had been devastating and killing millions, adding that it was time researchers came up with malaria vaccines.

Ernest appealed to the federal government for adequate funding of primary health care to reduce the burden of diseases such as malaria with a propensity to kill children.

The paediatrician also urged further investment on vaccines and immunisations on children killer diseases in the country.