News
Medical advice: Don’t confine newborns to the room…bring them out once daily
Mothers have been cautioned against the practice of keeping newborns indoor for about seven days, as some customs and tradition demand.
It has been recommended that instead of keeping neonates in the room until it is time for their christening or naming ceremony, babies should be brought out at least once a day for “general observation,” including signs of Neonatal Jaundice.
This, according to Paediatrician, Dr Okine Brako, is necessary because Neonatal Jaundice remains the leading cause of illness (morbidity) at Intensive Care Units (ICU), especially within the first two weeks of birth.
Speaking to The Spectator about the condition, he said although the number of deaths recorded as a result of neonatal jaundice (mortality) in babies was low, the side effects of the condition which includes cerebral palsy were increasing.
Although statistics were not readily available, he said Neonatal Jaundice was “bound to occur in about 60 per cent of new born babies.”
Neonatal Jaundice is explained as the “yellow discoloration of a newborn baby’s skin and eyes, which occurs because the baby’s blood contains an excess of bilirubin” (a yellow pigment of red blood cells).
It is a common condition, particularly in babies born before 38 weeks gestation (preterm babies) and some breast-fed babies. Doctors say it may occur because a baby’s liver “is not matured enough to get rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream.”
Dr. Okine explained two types of the condition as physiologic jaundice (which occurs within 48 to 72 hours after birth) and pathologic jaundice (which occurs with 24 hours) and said parents should pay serious attention to the latter (pathologic jaundice).
He said severe jaundice in babies (if not attended to promptly) could cause permanent brain damage leading to cerebral palsy.
He stated blood incompatibility between mother and baby, infections, enzyme deficiency, and improper breast feeding as some of the causes of (physiologic) neonatal jaundice.
Dr. Okine, also the Head of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, said treatment for babies with the condition included phototherapy (where babies are placed under artificial lights) while in other instances treatment may require “blood exchange transfusion.”
“Blood exchange transfusion is where we gradually change the whole baby’s blood and it takes about four hours to do that,” he noted.
He said, for this reason, there was the need to draw more attention to neonatal jaundice, encourage parents to be vigilant and seek early treatment because “early identification can save lives.”
“Mothers must pay keen attention to yellowing of the skin and take the child to hospital. They should not sit and wait. Don’t keep newborns in the dark. Bring the baby out every day and look out for signs of jaundice,” he stressed.
The month of May each year is dedicated worldwide to creating awareness on Neonatal Jaundice and this year’s theme is “Survive and Thrive from Yellow to Hero.”
By Ernest Nutsugah
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
