Expert warns against healing baby umbilical cord with cow dung
Taiwo Owoeye
A health expert from the department of Family Health,Federal Ministry of Health,Mrs Patricia Isikor,warned mothers against using dung to heal baby umbilical cord.
Isikor gave the warning at the Kwara Ministry of Health,Ilorin,during a three-day Advocacy Meeting on reducing maternal mortality in Nigeria.
The meeting was tagged: “Life Saving Commodities,Focus on Neonatal Commodities in the Northern States”.
According to Isikor,the Federal Government has introduced the chlorxy-G gel for mothers to use on baby umbilical cord,adding that people had been applying cow dung,toothpastes,ashes,and other substances on baby umbilical which could threaten the life of the baby.
“This prompted the government to start sensitising the mothers against such harmful practices and introduced the Chlrxy-G gel”.
She said the gel should be used on the umbilical cord without adding anything to it,until it dropped off from the baby.
Director of Primary Healthcare,Kwara Ministry of Health,Dr Funsho Abimbola said the three major causes of neo-natal mortality in Nigeria were low birth asphyxia at 28 percent and infection at 22 percent.
He stated that improved in child survival was only possible with significant reduction in neo-natal mortality.