+44 330 818 7254Bernard Afriyie Owusu
Background: Febrile convulsion (FC) in children under five years is a common childhood condition especially in deprived communities amidst improvement in healthcare, nutrition and drug supplies. FC accounted for 30% of all under-five mortality cases in Ghana in 2015.
Objective: This study explored the complementary and alternative treatment of febrile convulsion in Cape Coast Metropolis.
Methods: A purely qualitative phenomenological study design underpinned the study. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to interview forty-two (42) participants, made up of mothers, grandmothers, herbalists, faith healers and native doctors’ resident in the Metropolis.
Results: Parents attributed the cause of FC to phlegm, fever, evil spirits, malaria, unhealthy treatment of children, and congenital factors. Pre-Attack diagnosis were: refusal of children to breastfeed, sleepless nights, diarrhoea and high body temperature. During attack diagnosis were twitching or jerking, foaming, rolling the eyes backwards, white eyes, numbness, paleness and unconsciousness. Post attack diagnosis was deformity of the child – deaf, dumb and paralysis. Treatment practices include:
sponging the child with cold water at home, resorting to prayers, urinating directly on the child on the floor, forcefully inducing the child to vomit phlegm with the help of chicken feathers, and administering herbal medicine by robbing it on the body, into the nostrils, and the mouth or into the child anus were how FC was treated. Again, making scarification on the child face and wrist, and putting beads and tampons on the child neck and wrists were practices to prevent FC.
Conclusion: The complementary and alternative practices used to treat febrile convulsion at home were not the best home-made practices. Cruel approaches have the potential to contribute to infant and under 5 mortality cases in the communities. There is therefore the need to intensify maternal and child health education programs on FC and its management in the Metropolis.
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