Conjunctivitis Of The Newborn (Ophthalmia Neonatorum)

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See also the section on Sexually Transmitted Diseases.

This is defined as conjunctivitis with discharge occurring in a neonate within the first month of life. The condition is commonly caused by gonococcal, chlamydia! and bacterial infection and the new born acquires this infection from an infected birth canal during delivery. The condition is preventable by detecting and treating maternal and partner gonococcal and chlamydia! infection during pregnancy and by swabbing with normal saline wet cotton swab both eyes as soon as the baby's head is out followed by instilling 1% tetracycline eye ointment (Crede Prophylaxis) carefully into the conjunctiva! sacs of every new born baby as soon as possible after birth.

Ophthalmia Neonatorum is treated as follows:

• Collect pus swab for culture and sensitive before initiation of antibiotic treatment
• Eye(s) Irrigation with warm Normal Saline until all the pus is removed and intermittently as long as pus is still

Instilling Antibiotic Eye Drops (Ofloxacin/Fortified Gentamicin 0.3%) hourly as long as the eye are still discharging and red during the day and 1% Tetracycline eye ointment at night until infection is cleared.

Treatment:

	Medicine	Paed Dose	Frequency	Duration
	kanamycin im	25mg/kg	once	single dose
and	erythromycin po	16mg/kg	6 hourly	14 days

Treat the parents and the baby for gonococcal and chlamydial infection as described above. Also provide health education and counselling to the parents.