Experts warn against home births as Bauchi battles high under-5 mortality
By Ahmed Ahmed
Medical experts and child health stakeholders have cautioned against home deliveries, urging pregnant women to utilise healthcare facilities to reduce the alarming rate of under-five mortality in Bauchi State.
The warning was issued on Thursday during a one-day workshop for community stakeholders organised by the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Project of the College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi.
The workshop, themed “Timely Death Notifications Save Lives: Helping to Track Causes of Under-Five Deaths for Better Child Survival,” brought together healthcare professionals, researchers and community leaders to discuss strategies for improving child survival.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Sulaiman Ahmed Musa of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital said many births in Bauchi still occur outside health facilities, exposing mothers and newborns to avoidable complications.
He noted that Bauchi State records an estimated 125 under-five deaths per 1,000 live births, one of the highest rates in Nigeria and above the national average.
According to him, poverty, low immunisation coverage, malnutrition and delayed healthcare seeking remain major contributors to child deaths, especially in rural communities with limited access to skilled healthcare services.
The expert further identified maternal age below 20 years or above 40 years, short birth intervals and low maternal education as critical factors increasing child mortality risks.
Also speaking, Dr. Aisha Musa Zaidu emphasised the importance of mortality surveillance in identifying preventable causes of child deaths.
On his part, Dr. Faizu Ahmed Saleh explained that Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS), also known as minimally invasive autopsy, uses needle biopsies of organs such as the lungs, liver and brain to determine causes of death.
Earlier, Dr. Jamilu Yaya described the CHAMPS project as a vital child mortality surveillance initiative in Bauchi State funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through Emory University to support life-saving interventions for children.
