BACKGROUND: Nigeria, with a population of >150 million @entity1 in which half of the population are @entity1 encounters challenges in paediatric surgery practice in rural areas. There are paediatric surgeons in Nigeria, but majority practice in tertiary health facilities in cities. The poor rural dwellers have little or no access to such highly trained specialists. Hence, @entity1 with congenital and acquired paediatric surgical pathologies including anterior abdominal wall defects not only grow up with these diseases to adulthood, they are also exposed to various health hazards posed by unqualified personnel. Therefore, we are evaluating the burden of @entity169 /hydrocele in northern and southern Nigeria for awareness creation and the way forward. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data obtained from organised free hernia missions to the rural populace from northern and southern Nigeria by the West African Collage of Surgeons in 2010 and Kano State Government in 2013 was analysed. RESULTS: A total of 811 @entity1 aged from 3 months (0.25 years) to 35 years was screened and found to have @entity2914 and/or hydrocele from the two centres. 171 (21.1%) were successfully operated, while the remaining 640 (78.9%) could not benefit from a surgical procedure during the missions. There were n = 46 (26.9%) @entity1 with various forms of genital mutilations/and or surgical mismanagements among the operated @entity1 . CONCLUSION: The burden of congenital anterior abdominal wall defects among Nigerian @entity1 is high. A little effort could bring succor and create awareness among this group of @entity1 .

Burden of XXXX and hydrocele in northern and southern Nigeria: An opportunity for awareness creation.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['children', 'patients', 'people'] @entity2914 :: ('MESH:D065630', 'Disease') :: ['congenital hernia'] @entity169 :: ('MESH:D006552', 'Disease') :: ['congenital inguinal hernia']
@entity169 :: (MESH:D006552,Disease) :: ['congenital inguinal hernia']
