The condition occurs when a baby has high levels of bilirubin in the blood and early detection is vital to addressing the growing cases.   The association has set the month of May, every year, to focus spotlight on the jaundice to help everybody to have better understanding of the dangers and to encourage parents to closely monitor their babies from birth through their first months of life.

 Dr. Della Adzosii, Greater Accra President of the Association, at the regional launch, said it required early detection and careful monitoring because if left untreated for too long, the consequences could be distressing.

It could lead to permanent brain damage - cerebral palsy and intellectual disability.

There could also be behavioural disorders, seizures, epilepsy, hearing impairment and strabismus (visually impairment disorder).   Dr. Adzosii together with other specialists took turns to educate parents at the neonatal clinic of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on the causes, signs, symptoms and dangers if not treated.

They were advised that any sign of yellowish discoloration of the baby’s skin or eye, or both, hould be immediately reported to health facility for treatment. Health workers particularly those, who handled newborn cases, were also reminded to remain vigilant and to make sure they critically examined all babies before being discharged from the facilities.

This was important to prevent the situation where mothers returned too late with severe cases that had already caused irreversible damage to the brain and other organs of their babies.   A special training programme has been scheduled for health workers across the nation from the 14th day of this month as part of efforts to promote effective monitoring and treatment.  

Dr. Taiba Jibril Afaa, the Chairperson of the Neonatal Jaundice Committee, said the high rate of cases, especially in Greater Accra, was unacceptable and needed to be tackled through sustained public education. She pointed out that the causes were varied and cited among these common infection, incompatibility of the baby’s blood group with that of their mothers, poor feeding of babies leading to dehydration and contact with certain chemicals including camphor.

She talked mothers out of putting camphor close to the clothing or anything that would be used on a baby, saying, that could have serious repercussions on the health of the child.