Angela Onwuzoo Mothers have been asked to wash their hands with soap after changing their babies’ diapers and do away with the notion that babies’ faeces are not harmless. A Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Prof. Edamisan Temiye, who gave the charge, warned that disposing of babies’ stool inappropriately could lead to infections.
Temiye said due to misconceptions, some mothers assume that babies’ stool is harmless and poorly disposed of while some do not wash their hands after changing their babies’ diapers. The child health specialist who spoke with PUNCH Healthwise pointed out that no stool is harmless including that of a newborn. The paediatrician explained, “Babies’ stool is not harmless is a misconception.
Every stool should be disposed of appropriately in the sewage system. “The moment a baby is born, the baby starts interacting with all the microorganisms in the environment, including the ones from the mother and the mother’s stool, the father’s stool, and the community’s stool. “In communities where babies’ stool is not disposed of appropriately, when adults use the toilet, they don’t wash their hands and when they touch and serve food, they spread the impact to children.
“That is one of the reasons diarrhoea disease is one of the most common causes of death in children under five because those germs come back and the child who has low immunity could have diarrhoea.�.