Paediatricians advocate for mandatory newborn jaundice screening before hospital discharge

Child health experts are emphasizing the critical need for all newborns to undergo jaundice screening prior to hospital discharge. They state that early detection is crucial to prevent permanent neurological disabilities such as brain damage and cerebral palsy, and to avert fatalities. Paediatricians note that despite being preventable and treatable, neonatal jaundice continues to affect and claim the lives of many newborns in Nigeria due to missed symptoms, inadequate testing, exposure to triggers, delayed access to care, and mismanagement with home remedies. The experts identified ABO blood group incompatibility, Rhesus factor incompatibility, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase G6PD deficiency, prematurity, and infection as primary causes of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria. They recommend daily monitoring of bilirubin levels for babies with these risk factors and immediate treatment for any neonate suspected of having jaundice. Parents are advised to observe their babies closely after returning home and seek immediate medical attention if they notice yellowing of the eyes or skin, poor feeding, unusual crying, or convulsions. Practices like exposing babies to sunlight, or giving them glucose water, antibiotics, or herbal mixtures are deemed ineffective and potentially harmful. A 2024 study published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology highlighted neonatal jaundice as a major cause of newborn admissions in Nigeria, with Africa bearing a significant bu