Dr Fatima Ibrahim, a Paediatrician, at Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, has cautioned parents on the dangers of using herbal concoction and nonchalant attitudes towards children at presumed teething period of the child.
Ibrahim said this while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to her, “most parents ignore the child who is sick or having high fever at home, sometimes give the child some kind of herbal medicine, under the assumption that the fever or illness was caused by the growing teeth”.
She explained teething as a physiological process that can be painful, but it does not usually make babies sick.
She said: “Teething may cause a mild increase in your child’s temperature, but if the temperature is above 38°C (100.4°F), the doctor will look for symptoms that may be related to an infection or illness.”
She therefore advised parents to seek for medical advice rather than giving self-medication when a child has diarrhoea, vomiting, rashes on the body, fever, cough and congestion, as they are not normal signs of teething.
Besides, the paediatrician advised that a child’s hand and toys should always be washed as children bite on fingers or toys to help relieve the pressure in the gums.
She said: “The child may refuse to eat and drink because of mouth sore and they usually salivate more during this period which may cause a rash on the chin, face or chest.”
She added that this is not the era to give a child herbal concoction, as it may cause infection for the child.
She added: “The child is still growing and his immunity system is also not fully grown as such parents should take good care of their children.”
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