Impact of Parental Sex Education on Child Sexual Abuse among Adolescents

Background: Parental sex education of children is an often overlooked issue in pediatrics; especially in our society where talking about issues concerning sex is regarded as a taboo.Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the impact of sex education on child sexual abuse among adolescents attending secondary schools in south east Nigeria.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that was carried out among children in three secondary schools in Enugu and Ebonyi states of Nigeria. Five hundred and six adolescents who met inclusion criteria were consecutively recruited into our prospective study between June and October; 2014.Results: Eighty (80%) of respondents were educated by parents on sex abuse. Of those educated majority was by mother (46.2%) and both parents (45.2%). Most (72.1%) were not informed that family members or family friends can abuse children and 73.8% were not told to inform adults if it happens to them. A lower proportion (37.9%) of those educated by parents at home was abused. Those educated by parents were 1.23 times less likely to be abused than those not educated. There was significant difference in sex abuse between males and females (p=0.014) while there were no significant difference for age (p=0.157) and social class (p=0.233).Conclusion: Children educated by parents on sexual abuse were less likely to be sexually abused than those not educated. There is no link between socioeconomic class and child sexual abuse among adolescents

Cerebral Malaria Complicated by Blindness, Deafness and Extrapyramidal Tract Manifestation.

Cerebral malaria is a severe manifestation of a parasitic infection caused by Plasmodium falciparum. The sequelae of this disease such as blindness, deafness, loss of motor function could be emotionally traumatic and physically disabling. We, therefore, present this case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with high-grade intermittent fever associated with multiple convulsions and prolonged coma. He regained consciousness after 12 days of treatment with intravenous quinine but was found to have blindness, sensory-neural deafness and extrapyramidal sign. This extrapyramidal sign regressed following treatment with chlorpromazine. He also regained his sight and auditory function before he was discharged though not completely. This report is aimed at emphasizing these rare complications of cerebral malaria as well as reminding clinicians working in malaria endemic areas of the world on the need for early diagnosis and prompt treatment.

Behavioral disorder amongst adolescents attending secondary school in southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are prone to various forms of behavioral problems. These behavioral issues in adolescents can have serious consequences for the adolescents. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study are to determine the causative factors of adolescent problems and specific manifestations. METHODS: Behavioral problems were investigated using a random sampling of adolescents from secondary schools in southeast Nigeria from February to April, 2014. A self-administered questionnaire was developed from Health Kids Colorado Questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 763 subjects completed the questionnaire. Adolescents who reported to have used tobacco 3 to 5 and 6 to 9 times during the last 30 days are just 3.14% and 3.4%, respectively. Nineteen (2.49%) adolescents claimed that they have had sex before but not in the last 3 months. Adolescents who attempted suicide are from 15 years and peaked at 18. Eighty-three (11%) adolescents who are 15 years old attempted suicide in a year; this peaks at 17 years where 235 (30.8%) committed suicide. Majority of adolescents with behavioral disorder are from the upper class family. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that adolescents exhibit several forms of behavioral problems.

Cerebral palsy among children seen in the neurology clinic of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba.

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a non-progressive disorder of motor function caused by irreversible damage to the immature brain. The disorder may be associated with seizure, mental retardation, visual and hearing defects. This study was designed to determine the types of CP, the risk factors and the co-morbidities associated with the disorder. Records of patients who were seen in the neurology clinic were kept for two years (June 2009-July 2011). Medical history and examination were essentially used to determine risk factors, antenatal care and co-morbidities. Data was analyzed using SPSS soft-ware. CP made up 45 % of 60 neurological cases and 0.006 % of 4,873 patients seen in the clinic with a male to female ratio of 1.1:1. Birth asphyxia was the commonest risk factor for the development of the disorder while seizure disorder among others was the commonest co-morbid state.