Experts wey dey take care of pikin dem don warn Naija mamas dem make dey no dey put honey inside mouth of pikin wey never reach 1 year because e dey cause serious health palava.
Di experts wey be Dr. Lilian Akerele and Dr. Abigail Dodo, na pikin doctor (paediatricians) and dem tok say natural honey fit serious problem like paralysis for pikin.
Plenty people for different places for naija dey put honey inside pikin mouth steady especially when dem dey do naming ceremony. Some mama and papa dem sef dey even put am for pikin food.
Dr. Akerele when she tok with Punch Healthwise warn parents dem say make dem no dey give any small pikin honey because honey get one bacterium dem dey call ‘clostridium botulinum’ and e fit create toxin for pikin body, come cause serious health palava.
World Health Organisation been tok say Clostridium botulinum na bacterium wey dey produce dangerous toxin wey be ‘botulinum toxins’ and na when oxygen low e dey produce am. Botulinum toxins na substance wey dey extremely deadly and e dey block nerve function for body come lead to respiratory and muscular paralysis.
Dr. Akerele wey dey work for Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State come explain say pikin dem immune system and GI tracts never strong or mature to destroy di toxin wey dey honey and the toxins fit destroy neuronal cells of di pikin, come lead to muscle paralysis. E fit still affect respiratory system for the pikin body come make am no dey breathe well.
Di pikin sef fit come get Apnea wey mean say dem go stop to dey breathe kpata kpata and na only ventilator go help dem for very long.
Di doc still explain say pikin wey take this toxin fit get paralysis within 2 hours before dem go start to show say dem no dey breathe well plus muscle weakness and constipation within 12 to 36 hours after dem take am.
Di pikin doctor come add say treatment no dey for any pikin wey get problem because of this toxin as di cause na anaerobic organism.
So for any pikin wey dey under 1 year, honey no good for dem at all. E dey very very bad.
Dr. Akerele tok say even though honey no good for tiny pikin dem, e good for children wey don pass 1 year because e dey help build immunity, clear the guts (their intestines), and still produce antioxidants.
She come still add say e dey very good as e dey help for cough, catarrh, and flu and na good source of amino wey dey help build body.
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(Punch Healthwise)
