Research Articles

Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen And Hepatitis B Core Antibody Among Prospective Blood Donors In Abuja, Nigeria

Mon, 01 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Prevalence Of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen And Hepatitis B Core Antibody Among Prospective Blood Donors In Abuja, Nigeria JOHN, S.Bimba Hepatitis B (HB) virus (HBV) remains a major risk factor for safe blood use. Compulsory pre- transfusion screening for HB core antibody (anti-HBc) to detect occult HBV infection in HB surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative persons and prevent post-transfusion HBV infection in the target area is an unmet need. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of HBsAg and anti-HBc in prospective blood donors in Abuja, Nigeria and determine their association with age, gender, marital status (MS) and education. The research adopted the principle of enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) method for the evaluation of the presence of Total anti-HBc positivity and HBsAg-status among blood donors; and analysed their association with age, gender, MS and education using chi-squared (X2) test. The results were presented in simple tables and figures. A total of 300 individuals participated in the study. The p-value was set at P<0.05 as significant level. Data for 300 participants were analysed with male:female dominant ratio of 24:1, recording prevalence of 7.7% (HBsAg+) and 17.7% (anti-HBc). Age group 25-34 years had the highest prevalence: 3.7% for HBsAg+ and 8.3% for anti-HBc; participants with formal education had higher prevalence for HBsAg+ (6.7%), anti- HBc (14.3%) than informal education (1.0% and 3.3%) respectively. Married participants recorded higher prevalence for HBsAg+(6.0%) and anti-HBc (14.0%) than unmarried participants (1.7% and 3.6%) respectively. Anti-HBc positive without HBsAg-positivity was recorded among 10% of the participants. There was no significant association between prevalence of the markers and the demographic variables studied. The high prevalence of anti-HBc (17.7%) among HBsAg+(7.7%) and (10%) among HBsAg-negative noticed in this study showed that the virus is actively replicating in chronic HBV carriers and persistently enhancing silent spread within the population in the target area

Characteristics of Housing in a Rural Community: A Case Study of Chanso Village in Plateau State, Nigeria

Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Characteristics of Housing in a Rural Community: A Case Study of Chanso Village in Plateau State, Nigeria JOHN, S.Bimba characteristics of housing in a rural community and its implications for health. It was a cross-sectional study in which the community was purposively selected. Total population sampling was applied and data was obtained with the use of a checklist. A total of 199 household data were analysed with the use of Epi-Info 3.5.1 software. Most (80%) of the houses were made of mud bricks, 63% were found to be in good condition though mould was detected in 4% of the walls of the houses. Sanitary amenities identified in the community included, wells and pit latrines and waste disposal was mostly by open dumping. Most environments were found to be filthy (85%) with a resultant finding of several types of vectors and vermin. Interventions are require in this community to improve basic sanitation

Prevalence of tuberculosis‑HIV co‑infection and factors associated with treatment outcome among the tuberculosis patients in HIV treatment facility in a teaching hospital in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Thu, 25 Mar 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Prevalence of tuberculosis‑HIV co‑infection and factors associated with treatment outcome among the tuberculosis patients in HIV treatment facility in a teaching hospital in Jos, North Central Nigeria JOHN, S.Bimba Background: Globally, tuberculosis (TB) remains a disease of grave public health concern. It ranks above HIV/AIDS as the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, and as one of the 10 most common causes of mortality. This study assessed the prevalence of TB-HIV co-infection and factors associated with treatment outcome among the TB patients in an HIV treatment facility in a Teaching hospital in Jos, North central Nigeria. Methods: A 10-year retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional review was conducted and data was extracted through the review of TB registers. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20 and bivariate analyses was conducted at P < 0.05. Results: The prevalence of TB-HIV co-infection was 9.25%, with the mean age of the study participants being 41.8 ± 11.6 years. Of all the participants, 87.5% had successful treatment outcome, while 12.5% had unsuccessful treatment outcome. In the bivariate analysis, place of residence was the only socio-demographic factor significantly associated with treatment outcome (˂0.001) Conclusion: The TB-HIV co-infection prevalence rate was about 10% of the total HIV population with a high TB treatment success rate. With the exception of place of residence, no other factor had statistically significant relationship with the treatment outcome

OVER DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID AND MALARIA CO-INFECTION BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT

OVER DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID AND MALARIA CO-INFECTION BY HEALTH CARE WORKERS IN NORTH CENTRAL NIGERIA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. JOHN, S.Bimba Introduction: Typhoid and malaria are significant causes of morbidity and mortality, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Typhoid and malaria co-infection may occur as superinfection or even simultaneous infections. However, it appears to be rather rare. It is imperative to accurately make an accurate diagnosis of typhoid and malaria co-infection. The study set out to determine the practice among healthcare workers in the diagnosis and treatment of typhoid and malaria co-infection. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in Jos North Local Government Area in North-Central Nigeria. The sample population consisted of health care workers (HCWs) who were involved in the management of typhoid and malaria. Data were analysed using STATA version 14.0 College station, Boston, USA. Results: Seventy-five HCWs were interviewed. Typhoid and malaria were diagnosed by 67 (89%) HCWs at least once weekly, and by the other 11% at least once every month. The Widal test was used to make a diagnosis of typhoid in greater than 70% of the cases. There was no statistical difference in the rate of typhoid diagnoses between medical doctors and other HCW. Conclusion:There is a high rate of false diagnosis of malaria and typhoid co-infection. This informs the crucial need for quality training and re-training of health care workers in the diagnosis of these conditions