Nno, Welcome, Ola,

I visited Nigeria in 2006 and was bitten by a bug called High Infant Mortality Rate. I read about the issue in a local news paper in Abuja. This information was buttressed while on holidays in my father's village (Nnewi); an elderly woman informed my cousin and I of 2 infant deaths that Christmas week from childhood preventable illnesses. I was aghast. I sat down, dumfounded, then a flashback of I (as a child), at the end of civil war, women carrying their dying babies of kwashiorkor to my father's compound seeking relief; food, water, medicine anything to help their infants. In 2007 I returned to finish my graduate school in Public Health and my community health class provided a platform to research infant mortality rate. Hence, I wrote a paper on it, and proposed a three year strategic pyramid solution.

This blog is about being part of the solution:
(a) bringing the issue to bear
(b) envisioning seamless integrated strategies
(c) visualizing adapting innovative, sustainable solutions to mitigate variables that give rise to high infant deaths.

At issue is the continent of Africa. Some may say I gave money to Africa, yes you did but in reality you gave money for a project in Mali, or Sierra Leone or Liberia. That is 3 countries out of 50. From my research, high infant morality rate in SSA is attracting international, national and individual researchers seeking effective methods in implementing sustainable measures or solutions towards reversing the numbers. I am suggesting that more man power is needed to combat the problem at least in Nigeria.

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG_FS_4_EN.pdf



Wednesday, October 27, 2010

World Health Organization article on Nigeria's high infant mortality rate

What ails the world is plentiful.  Be it hunger, famine, HIV/AIDS, war, cholera outbreak in Haiti, or my cause celebre- infant mortality rate in Nigeria.  When I originally did my research in 2007 it was difficult to find rich data on the topic. Today I am delighted to find plenty of figures. Thanks to UN and its collaborators. As I said previously, the high infant mortality rate in Nigeria is not new, See article below.  http://www.who.int/pmnch/activities/countries/nigeria/en/index1.html  It is pleasing to read general consensus on the issue, then "what to do about it"? Is my question.  It is important for me to stay on the message, hence I would not take issue with low reported numbers such as under 100 deaths per 1000. I refuse to be political about what is ailing my father's land.  Regardless of the reported numbers,  the deaths are "unacceptably" high, said WHO.  My concern is that the global village collectively do not care enough about these infants death in Nigeria, SSA to assist in reversing the numbers.  Why do I say this? Because  I believe the global village have the voice-money-power to do anything it sets its eyes upon.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)