‘Unsafe Water Puts Children at Risk of Diarrhea in Nigeria’

Amby Uneze The rampant cause of diarrheria among children across the country has been attributed to the use of unsafe water in many households, a UNICEF investigation carried out in two local government areas of Imo State has confirmed.

In the study carried out in Onuimo and Okigwe Local Governments of Imo State recently on the situation of children’s health in Nigeria and the concept of Integrated Maternal Neonatal Child Health (IMNCH) it was observed that the story about weather as reason for diarrhea among children was not true.

The team observed that diarrhea was caused by the use of unsafe water sourced from an unsafe place as a result of dry season which had contributed to the dryness of safe water sources across the areas.

It was noted that a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria was one in thirteen, adding also that 145 women of child bearing age die every day from pregnancy related complications equaling 52,900 women die annually (of the global 529,000), while 2,300 under five children die daily (about 1 million annually, 0r 10 percent of global deaths).

The revelation showed that Nigeria is the second largest contributor to under – five mortality (U5MR) and maternal mortality (MMR) in the world, noting that direct causes of maternal, neonatal and child deaths were known and that child deaths are largely preventable, treatable using proven, cost-effective and currently available intervention.

According to the investigation, around two-thirds of neonatal and child deaths are preventable with low cost, low-tech existing interventions, as majority of maternal deaths can be averted with current knowledge. However, it was also identified that inadequate emergency obstetric care, education, women low status, religious factors, traditional and not a great political interest as causes of maternal mortality in Nigeria.

The team recommended upgrading of health workers, the operational capacity of essential obstetrics care, strengthening the operational capacity of health workers for quality services, increased policy and advocacy, continuous monitoring of obstetric centres, strengthening of public-private partnership, planning and implementation of appropriately designed care systems and behavioural change/ communication activities.