Health of Nigerian Rural School Children

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Abstract
A study of 353 primary school children aged 6 to 14 years was carried out in Badeku, a small village in the Oyo State of Nigeria. Most of the children were found to be short and underweight with almost 30% of them having angular stomatitis. A considerable proportion had dental caries which were probably due to increased consumption of sweet foods and poor dental hygiene. The splenic rate was found to be surprisingly low and this could be attributed to better knowledge of the preventive measures against malaria and the increased use of anti-malarial drugs which are easily available in the village market and health centre. About a quarter of the children were not immunized against smallpox and tuberculosis, and some children were found with scabies and tinea capitis. The need to provide basic health care to schoolchildren in the rural areas is stressed and such health services should be integrated into the normal duties of the staff of the health centres which are already in existence in many rural areas in Nigeria.

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