A Speech Therapist, Maryam Maifada, on Tuesday, urged health workers to ensure professionalism during and after childbirth to avert raising cases of Cerebral Palsy (CP).
Maifada, the Executive Director of Mifad Autism Developmental and other Disability Support Initiative, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the World Cerebral Palsy Day celebration in Kaduna.
NAN reports that CP Day is annually observed on Oct. 6 to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of individuals living with cerebral palsy, and serves as global day of action and platform to spotlight issues facing people with CP.
The day aims to challenge stereotypes and work toward creating an inclusive society where individuals with cerebral palsy are respected for their identities and talents.
The theme for this year is “Uniquely CP”, which emphasises that a person’s disability does not define their entire identity.
The executive director said 80 per cent of children with disabilities now are suffering from cerebral palsy and 80 per cent of children born now are also born with cerebral palsy due to over-labour, poor prescription of drugs during pregnancy and negligence during child birth.
She added that cerebral palsy can begin before, during or just after birth, a permanent, lifelong condition that cannot be eliminated but can be managed.
According to her, cerebral palsy happens when there’s damage to brain areas that control muscle movement, or when those areas don’t develop as they should, a main cause of childhood disability.
She explained that “it is a group of conditions that affect movement and posture, caused by damage that occurs to the developing brain, most often before birth.
“I want to urge health workers to be careful and efficient in discharging their duties during childbirth because this can lead to cerebral palsy, and symptoms appear during infancy or preschool years and vary from mild to serious.
“Children with cerebral palsy may have exaggerated reflexes. The arms, legs and trunk may appear floppy or have stiff muscles, known as spasticity.
“Symptoms also can include irregular posture, movements that can’t be controlled, a walk that’s not steady or a combination of these.”
Maifada advised parents to contact professionals and get prompt diagnosis if one’s child has symptoms of movement condition or delay in development.
“See your child’s healthcare professional if you have concerns about episodes of loss of awareness or irregular bodily movements or posture.
“It’s also important to contact healthcare professional if your child has trouble swallowing, poor coordination, eye muscle imbalance or other developmental issues,” she emphasised.
She listed types of cerebral palsy to include spastic, dyskinetic or mixed, with subtypes based on affected part of the body, namely: diplegic, quadriplegic, hemiplegic, monoplegic and paraplegic.
She, therefore, called for more awareness in communities “so that mothers can attend antenatal clinic during and after childbirth for early detection.” (NAN)
