A nine-year-old girl has died after her mother applied a pesticide, Sniper, on her hair to kill lice.
A paediatrician at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Dr Gloria Nwosu, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while addressing journalists on Thursday.
Nwosu said the woman followed the advice of her hairdresser and put the pesticide on two of her daughters, aged nine and four, respectively.
She noted that while the nine-year-old convulsed for hours before giving up the ghost, doctors at the teaching hospital saved the four-year-old.
“Their mother felt that the hairdresser would know what to do since it has to do with lice. We did everything we could to bring the child back to normal, but it was all abortive.
“She (the deceased) was very sick. The second child slumped in our presence and we immediately admitted her and gave her an antidote. So, the question now is how many of these children may have gone through this?” Nwosu said.
She explained that the insecticide damaged the victim’s brain.
“It affected her brain because she convulsed for over two hours. Now, there is something we do to check for oxygen saturation; it remained low. It never went back to normal. Then they can have something coming out from their mouth. This child kept pouring out saliva. It never went off until she passed on.
“They also have high blood pressure. This child’s blood pressure was high. We saw all those symptoms on this child,” the paediatrician added.
Nwosu called for stronger regulation of harmful chemicals.