© 1980 by Oxford University Press
research-article |
Morbidity Patterns amongst Children in a Semi-urban Community in Northern Nigeria*
Departments of Community Medicine and, Human Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria
An anthropometric and morbidity survey was carried out during a period of eight weeks in September and October, 1975, in a low socioeconomic community in Samaru, Zaria, Northern Nigeria, about 20 kilometres from the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria. In all, 399 children under 5 years of age were examined; 219 (54.4%) were males and 182 (45.6%) were females. Two hundred and one (50.4%) of the children were infants, 160 (40.1%) were between 1–3 years, while 38 (9.5%) were 3–5 years old. The three commonest diagnoses were respiratory diseases (100–25.1%), protein-calorie-malnutrition (84–21.1%) and gastroenteritis (60–15.0%).
Immunization of children at the appropriate and possibly even slightly earlier times, coupled with sound, sustained health education of the mothers, especially on nutrition and environmental sanitation would improve the quality of life of such Nigerian communities, within a very short time. Continued government social efforts in housing, education, nutrition and environmental sanitation are however bound to accelerate these improvements.