ONFALITE: UM REALIDADE DE SAÚDE PÚBLICA EM ANGOLA

Abstract

The present study presents a public health issue in Luanda, Angola, related to situations of hospitalization and death of newborns due to omphalitis, allowing to alert to a serious public health problem that the country faces. General Objective: To describe the public health problem associated with situations of omphalitis in Luanda. Specific objectives: Describe the reality of a general public hospital in the city of Luanda regarding this problem; Identify the main causes of omphalitis in the Angolan context; Describe the correct care with the umbilical stump; Evidence the social, cultural and health implications of newborn care. Method: Descriptive, exploratory and cross-sectional study. The inpatient processes of a pediatric service in a public hospital in the city of Luanda were analyzed, with situations of hospitalization for omphalitis, from January 2017 to June 2018. Results: In the period under study, 182 hospitalization processes were analyzed in this hospital with records of omphalitis in the newborn. Of these hospitalizations, 26 resulted in the death of the newborn. Of the 156 newborns admitted, 153 were discharged to the home, 2 were transferred to the pediatric hospital and there was a record of a leak. Conclusion: The results obtained demonstrate that Angolan mothers and newborns remain vulnerable with regard to care for the newborn's umbilical stump, resulting in the high number of registered omphalitis. It is therefore a priority to train health professionals in this field, so that interventions are effective and of quality in order to reduce this public health scourge in this country, particularly in the city of Luanda.

KEY WORDS :Umbilical cord; Newborn; Infant mortality; Child care; Culture.