This article by Jumoke Olasunkanmi highlights the heart-wrenching reality faced by parents who lost their babies to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and the role of the government in addressing this problem.
Unseen Tragedy
“My baby was full of life and active hours before she passed. I had just finished feeding her around 7:30 pm, she played in my arms for a few minutes before falling asleep then I placed her on the bed to continue my chores. I went in to check her some minutes before 10pm and she was not breathing.
I felt like my head would explode but I was able to raise alarm and we rushed to the nearest hospital. They couldn’t do anything for her though, and the doctor explained to me later that it was SIDS.”
These are the words of Victoria Omoh, a young mother who lost her three-month-old infant to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of deaths among children under one year. She requested that her picture should not be used in this story.
As she recounts her ordeal to African Health Report (AHR), Omoh explained that nothing prepared her for the death of her child as she was healthy as can be and had just been to the clinic for routine immunisation the previous week.
“My baby was not sick, there was nothing wrong with her. Even when I took her for her 10 weeks immunisation, the nurses did not see anything wrong. She was feeding well, and could hold her neck. I think it would have been easier if she was sick. That way, maybe it would have been expected.”
Understanding and Combating Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) or Crib Death, is the term used to describe the sudden death of a baby younger than 1 year of age that doesn’t have a known cause, even after a full investigation.
AHR spoke with a medical practitioner, Dr. Olusina Ajidahun, who explained that although SIDS may be unexplainable, there are certain factors that contribute to it.
He noted that low birth weight, malnutrition and sleeping position can all contribute to SIDS.
“When you have a pregnant woman that’s a chronic smoker, smokes during pregnancy and after giving birth, the smoke can actually affect and kill the child.
You also have malnutrition that can be linked to poverty. A child that is not being fed adequately or breastfed, even children with low birth weight are more likely to die suddenly.
“It is also important to know how to position babies to sleep. In advanced countries, babies are expected to sleep alone in their crib so there is no chance of an adult rolling over and sleeping on a child. Babies should be placed on their backs to sleep to reduce the chances of SIDS.”
He also added that more awareness needs to be created for parents and intending parents to understand what SIDS is and how they can reduce the chances.
“We need parents to understand that the safest position to lay a child is on his back, ensure proper ventilation and avoid second hand smoke,” the doctor said.
Silent Crisis: The Unseen Burden of Infant Mortality
Nigeria does not have a database for the number of SIDS deaths in the country, but in 2014, the World Bank noted that her ‘unacceptably high’ infant mortality rate which was 72 deaths per 1000 live births at the time could be linked to SIDS.
Infant mortality rate in Nigeria currently stands at 54.70 deaths per 1000 live births, according to the United Nations. While this is a 2.63 percent decline from 2022, it is still the third highest in the world; just after the Republic of Congo and Pakistan.
These unnecessary deaths, according to Dr. Ajidahun, can be attributed to several factors ranging from inadequate funding, unfavourable polices, insecurity to ignorance and poverty.
He explained that the health sector is grossly neglected and it had led to a mass migration of health workers including a lot of pediatricians who otherwise would have made positive impacts in the country.
“Nigeria has one of the highest child mortalities in Africa which is very critical. What factors are responsible for that? If we look at it, the top one will be the state of our healthcare. It is not new to anybody to know that there has been a breakdown in the health structure in Nigeria, coupled with the fact that the health sector has suffers low investment. I mean, look at our budget, even the supplementary budget left nothing for health despite its poor state.”
He added that unfavourable government polices do not give room for research that could lead to groundbreaking innovations to advance the health sector, noting that they also contribute to the exodus of health workers.
An Urgent Call for Action
Dr. Ajidahun further emphasised the harsh realities of Nigeria’s struggling healthcare system, emphasising the need for increased investment, better policies, and a collective effort to address the alarming rates of infant mortality caused by factors like SIDS.
AHR had reported that Nigeria has failed to fulfill its pledge of dedicating not less than 15 percent of its annual budget to the health sector.
With many public health care facilities underfunded and understaffed, antenatal and post-natal care are suboptimal, which is another factor contributing to the high number child mortality, Dr. Ajidahun explained.
He further noted that to reduce infant mortality rate in the country, the government needs to invest in the health sector, make favourable policies and encourage autopsies for every unexplained death.
“The government needs to invest heavily in the health sector, fund research and research centres and also encourage autopsies,” he said.
