Dr. Eliza Jacob, a pediatrician with an Abuja-based hospital has advised parents and the public to respect the rights and well-being of children with down syndrome.
Jacob gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
She said Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused when abnormal cell division results in extra genetic material from chromosome 21. She explained that the condition could cause distinct facial appearance, intellectual disability and developmental delays and may be associated with thyroid or heart disease.
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She advised that early intervention programmes with therapists and special educators who could treat each child’s specific situation could help in managing the condition. She said that children with down syndrome needed love and should be properly integrated into the society and urged parents of children with the syndrome to allow them to live normally like others.
Jacob condemned a situation whereby children living with the condition were being ignored by their parents and communities.
According to her, down syndrome patients have many health challenges, including internal organs abnormalities,
recurrent infection, mental retardation and stunted growth.
She pointed out that children with the condition needed physiotherapy, adding that they age faster than normal people. (NAN)
