Determinants of Outcome in Febrile Children Admitted into the Emergency Rooms of Two Tertiary Hospitals in Enugu Southeast Nigeria

Introduction: Febrile illnesses have continued to be the highest causes of mortalities in children admitted to the children emergency roomsin Nigeria. This study was carried out to review the determinants of outcome in children admitted for febrile illness into the emergency roomsof two tertiary institutions in Enugu, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study of 335 children who presented with fever to the emergency rooms over one year (January–December 2018). Their case records were retrieved, and the necessary information was obtained using a structured questionnaire. Statistical analysis included odds ratio and Chi‑square test. Results: The mean age of the children was 43.20 ± 50.30 months. The mean temperature at presentation was 38.2°C ± 0.9°C. Fever of 39.0°C or above at presentation and fever duration of >2 days were significantly associated with fatal outcome. Children residing in rural areas or referred from other health facilities were more likely to die. The risk of dying from fever was highest when it was associated with diarrhea, weakness, pallor, convulsions, unconsciousness, and difficult/fast breathing. Conclusion: Most of the factors responsible for mortality in febrile children are largely preventable and treatablewhen the presentation is early. Keywords: Determinants, emergency room, febrile children, Nigeria, outcom

A Comparison of the Performance of the Midarm Circumference and the Nelson Weight Estimation Formulas in Nigerian Children

Background: In emergencies, two commonly used weight estimation methods are Nelson and mid‑arm circumference (MAC)‑based formulae. Nelson’s method requires the child’s age while the MAC formula offers weight estimation without any prior details of the child, which is useful in our environment due to the lack of proper vital statistics documentation. Methodology: We measured the weight, height, and MAC of 1390 children aged 1–12 years. Values got from the measurements were substituted in MAC and Nelson formulae for weight estimation. The estimated weights were compared to the actual weights of the children. Results: Atotal of 1390 children were enrolled. The mean of enrolled children’s actual weight was significantly higher than the mean weight estimated using MAC and Nelson formula. MAC method overestimated weight in children 1–7 years and underestimated weight in those 8–12 years old. On the other hand, the Nelson formula underestimated weights in children 2–11 years and overestimated weight in 1 and 12-year olds. Conclusions: Both the MAC and Nelson method have their deficiencies in weight estimation. Though the Nelson formula  appears slightly more accurate than the MAC, weight estimates from both methods were mostly within the actual weight agreement limits. Keywords: Actual weight, children, comparison, formulae, mid‑arm circumference, nelso

Maternal perception of masking in children as a preventive strategy for COVID-19 in Nigeria: A multicentre study.

BackgroundThe use of face masks by children for the prevention of COVID 19 is still controversial, especially with regards to who should wear the face mask and at what age.ObjectivesThe study aimed to ascertain the perception of mothers on masking in children as a preventive strategy for COVID-19.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study carried out in two health institutions among 387 mothers who presented with their children for the first time in the hospital during the COVID 19 pandemic. A pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire which was designed by the researchers was used for data collection.ResultsMinority (44.7%) of the mothers perceived masking in children as an appropriate measure for the prevention of COVID-19. The frequent reasons given by majority (55.3%) of the mothers for the inappropriateness of face mask in children included perceived difficulty in breathing (38.5%) and the child's readiness to pull it off (29.3%). A significantly higher proportion of the children whose mothers were 35 years and above, 64.2% would wear face masks when compared with 31.7% of those whose mothers were ConclusionMaternal perception of masking in children as an appropriate strategy for preventing COVID-19 is adjudged low in this study. Right perception is significantly enhanced by maternal educational status, employment and marital status