Paediatricians Society of Ghana to help reduce childhood infections

Koforidua, Oct. 18, GNA- The Paediatricians Society of Ghana (PSG) is to help reduce infectious diseases in children in the country through the intensification of public education on simple ways of avoiding childhood infections.

This was the outcome of a two days annual conference of the Society which was organized at Koforidua under the theme: "Childhood infections" and attended by 40 members of the Society from all over the country. Briefing the press in Koforidua about the conference, the national President of the Society, Professor Kofi Baafoe-Bonnie observed that, most of the disease which infect children could be prevented if parents were well informed on what to do.

He said it was the aim of the Society to help create a link between the teaching hospitals and other health institutions and the Ghanaian society so that results of researches conducted in the teaching hospitals on childhood infections could easily be made available to other health personnel and the public.

Professor Baafoe-Bonnie expressed regret that despite the existence of simple methods for the prevention of malaria, research indicated that about 17.1 per cent of all deaths that occurred in all health institutions in the country excluding the Komfo Anokye and Korle-Bu Teaching hospitals were caused by malaria.

He said the sad thing was that majority of the people killed by malaria were children and pregnant women.

Professor Baafoe-Bonnie said some of the issues that the conference devoted its attention to was urinal tract infections, Tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS among children and urged more people to join the Society to help promote the health and welfare of children. He explained that, the Society was open not only to health personnel but also to all people who were interested in the promotion of the well being of children.