The child is the heritage of God. The church and any fellowship of God must not play with their welfare and well-being. When the church takes care of the health of the child, they will leave to glorify God and the family. There are seminar topics that the church must embark upon and organize for the children. These kinds of programs will work together for their good. The following are certain seminar topics the church must work on and organize for the children in the churches.
1. Immunization Program
There is a saying that prevention is better, easier and cheaper than cure. Infants’ immune systems are still very immature, making them very effective. Many infections are life-threatening, especially in infancy protected from exposure to germs.
Many of the common diseases are meningitis, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, Hepatitis B, diphtheria, and others. Cervical cancer-the second most common cancer, which kills many women in Nigeria-can also be prevented by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine. The National Programme of Immunization schedule currently in use in Nigeria is presented below:
AGE VACCINE
Birth BCG, OPVo, HepBo
6weeks OPV1, Pentavalent1 (DPT-HepB-Hib1), PCV1)
10 weeks OPV2, Pentavalent2 (DPT-HepB-Hib2), PCV2)
14 weeks OPV3, Pentavalent3 (DPT-HepB-Hib3), PCV3), IPV
9 months Measles, Yellow Fever
Nigeria National Programme on Immunization (NPI) Schedule for Children Less than 1 year old. It should be noted that since November 2019, the Federal Ministry of Health introduced a 2nd dose of measles vaccine into the routine immunization schedule, to be given to all children at 15 months. This dose serves as a second opportunity to fully protect children against the deadly Measles disease.
It should also be noted that full immunization against any infection does not always guarantee 100% protection from the disease. Nevertheless, in the unlikely event that the disease does occur, it is most unlikely to be the severe form, so it is always better to immunize your child, rather than not to.
Benefits of immunization include: Reduced morbidity and mortality hospital visits, which are cost-saving, reduced anxiety associated with rearing children, and maximum (more efficient) use of time and money.
Beneficial as immunization is, problems encountered include rejection of routine immunization due to misperceptions about routine immunization and influence of religion, political problems, shortage of vaccines and immunization supplies, and inadequate cold chain equipment (for storage of vaccines).
2. Seminar on Pneumonia
Pneumonia (infection in the lungs) is easily the leading cause of death in children under 5 years of life in Nigeria. Infants are particularly vulnerable. Pneumonia is caused by a variety of germs- viruses, bacteria and fungi. It is not due to exposure or cold environment, as is popularly but erroneously believed. The common symptoms are fever, catarrh, and cough, associated with fast and or difficult breathing. Whilst many children may suffer from mild catarrh and cough without serious consequences, once fast and or difficult breathing is present, such a child should be taken to a competent health care centre or hospital and treated with appropriate antimicrobial agents.
Preventive measures against pneumonia include exclusive breastfeeding for six months, avoiding cooking with firewood, kerosene or sawdust, ensuring immunization with routine as well as pneumonia vaccine, attention to personal and environment hygiene and avoiding sleeping in overcrowded rooms.
3. Seminar on Diarrhoea and Vomiting
Diarrhoea and vomiting are two quite common symptoms in children, especially in infancy. They may occur separately but often occur together. Vomiting, in particular, commonly occurs in many infections, especially malaria. Diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children five years old globally. It is a leading cause of malnutrition in children under five years old. It is both preventable and treatable.
When frequent, loose stools are passed, water and electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium and bicarbonate) are lost from the body and if not replaced, may lead to dehydration, which is the major cause of illness and death due to diarrhoea. Infants and children are the most susceptible to sickness and death from diarrhoea, so as much as possible, it should be prevented, and/or treated early before much damage is done.
Diarrhoea is often described as a symptom of an infection situated in the intestinal tract. It is caused by various bacterial, viral and parasitic organisms. The commonest infective agents causing diarrhoea in infancy are rotavirus and E. Coli bacteria. Infection is spread through contaminated food or drinking water, or from person to person as a result of poor hygiene and unsanitary habits. Diarrhoea may also be a symptom of infection outside the intestinal tract and is often accompanied with vomiting, which makes dehydration set in earlier and to be more severe. Diarrhoea stools may vary in colour (depending on the cause) from pale to dark and may be yellowish, brown or greenish. They may contain mucus, blood, or undigested food particles. Passage of some mucus in stool is not abnormal, but blood in stool is abnormal. Mothers should note any changes in consistency/colour, frequency and volume of stools.
If one is lucky, there may be no dehydration accompanying them depending on the severity. With some dehydration, the mouth may be dry, and when the baby cries, no tears are shed. Two or more of the following signs may be present: restlessness, irritability, sunken eyes and the baby is thirsty, drinking eagerly. When dehydration is severe, at least two of the following signs are present: lethargy (weakness) /unconsciousness, sunken eyes, unable to drink or drink poorly, skin pinch goes back very slowly (more than 2 seconds). If the baby’s fontanelle is still open, it may be felt to be depressed. The following are major measures to treat diarrhoea:
4. Seminar on Rehydration
With oral rehydration salts (OR S) solution. It can be bought at the chemist’s shop, or homemade salt-sugar-solution (SSS) can be given instead. : With intravenous fluids in case of severe dehydration or shock, or if the child is unable to drink.
Zinc supplements: Zinc supplements reduce the duration of a diarrhoea episode by 25% and are associated with a 30%reduction in stool volume.
10 Things you should know about rehydrating a child
1. Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing the solution.
2. Prepare a solution, in a clean pot, by mixing- Six (6) level teaspoons of sugar and Half (1/2) level teaspoon of Salt or
- 1 packet of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) 20.5 grams mix with
- One litre of clean drinking or boiled water (after it has cooled) Stir the mixture till all the contents dissolve.
3. Wash your hands and the baby’s hands with soap and water before feeding solution.
4. Give your child other fluids occasionally including breast milk and juices.
5. Continue to give solids as tolerated if the child is four months or older.
6. Make a fresh solution for your child by giving him/her ORS after 24 hours if he/she needs it..
7. Diarrhoea will stop by itself.
8. Assuming your child vomits, you have to wait ten minutes and give it ORS again. Vomiting will stop.
If diarrhoea increases and /or vomiting persists, take the child include access to safe drinking water use of improved sanitation, hand washing with soap, exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, food hygiene and health education. This is about how infections spread.
5. Seminar on Malaria
Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease that remains, in many regions of the world, including Nigeria, a major public health problem. It is the 3rd largest killer of children between the ages of one month and five years, following pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Malaria is caused by Plasmodium parasites. Although there are five species of plasmodium, the one that causes the most severe malaria is the Plasmodium falciparum. In a vulnerable individual, symptoms of malaria usually appear 10-15 days after the infective mosquito bite. It is not common for babies under 6 months to get malaria, because they have some immunity from the mother acquired during pregnancy. The common symptoms are fever, weakness, vomiting, headache, and chills, which may be associated with rigours (shivering).
Convulsions occasionally occur due to the high fever. If not treated within 24 hours, P. falciparum malaria can progress to severe illness, with one or more of the following complications: severe anaemia, respiratory distress about metabolic acidosis, or cerebral malaria (affecting the brain and the patient loses consciousness), often leading to death.
To prevent complications and death, treatment must be prompt. The WHO recommends accurate diagnosis before treatment is instituted. The most specific method is to identify malaria parasites in the blood by doing a microscopy test, but where the equipment or expert personnel are not available for this, there are now kits available that can confirm the diagnosis of malaria in a few minutes.
Once malaria has been confirmed, treatment should be prompt and complete. Treatment with single agents such as chloroquine, amodiaquine, artesunate etc, is no longer advised because of the real tendency of the parasite to develop resistance to these drugs. Instead, combination therapy (treatment) with an artemisinin derivative is the preferred option. This is known as Artemisinin Combination Therapy or Treatment (ACT). These drugs can be prescribed and obtained in appropriate health facilities. Simple, uncomplicated malaria can be treated at home with ACT, but severe malaria must be treated in a competent health facility.
Prevention of malaria is majorly by vector (mosquito) control by sleeping under long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets and using insecticide sprays as necessary. The environment should be kept clean and free of stagnant water in which the mosquito breeds. Some very vulnerable children, e.g. patients with sickle cell disease may need to take preventive medicine in addition.