Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Hepatitis B Virus, and Syphilis Infections among Pregnant Women Booked for Antenatal Care at Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among pregnant women are an important health issue in Nigeria, but its prevalence inLokoja is not known. Objective: The objective of this study is to establish the seroprevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and syphilis infections among pregnant women booked for the antenatal clinic in Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, Nigeria, and determine risk factors associated with the infections. Methods: We prospectively screened three hundred pregnant women booked for antenatal care between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2016, for HIV, HBV, and syphilis. Their demographic data, risk factors, and results of the screening tests were analyzed using the SPSS version 20 and presented in simple charts, tables, and percentages. Results: Thirty nine (13%) out of the 300 pregnant women tested seropositive for either HIV (28, 9.3%), HBV (10, 3.3%), or syphilis (one, 0.3%). The most common identifiable risk factor for these infections was multiple sexual partners which accounted for 38.4%. Conclusions: The seroprevalence of STIs in this study was 13% and the most common risk factor for the infections was multiple sexualpartners. Therefore, effective preventive strategies for HIV, HBV, and syphilis are advocated. Keywords: Hepatitis B virus, human immunodeficiency virus, Nigeria, pregnancy, screening, seroprevalence, syphili

Epidemiology of injuries presenting to the national hospital in Kampala, Uganda: implications for research and policy

BackgroundDespite the growing burden of injuries in LMICs, there are still limited primary epidemiologic data to guide health policy and health system development. Understanding the epidemiology of injury in developing countries can help identify risk factors for injury and target interventions for prevention and treatment to decrease disability and mortality.AimTo estimate the epidemiology of the injury seen in patients presenting to the government hospital in Kampala, the capital city of Uganda.MethodsA secondary analysis of a prospectively collected database collected by the Injury Control Centre-Uganda at the Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda, 2004-2005.ResultsFrom 1 August 2004 to 12 August 2005, a total of 3,750 injury-related visits were recorded; a final sample of 3,481 records were analyzed. The majority of patients (62%) were treated in the casualty department and then discharged; 38% were admitted. Road traffic injuries (RTIs) were the most common causes of injury for all age groups in this sample, except for those under 5 years old, and accounted for 49% of total injuries. RTIs were also the most common cause of mortality in trauma patients. Within traffic injuries, more passengers (44%) and pedestrians (30%) were injured than drivers (27%). Other causes of trauma included blunt/penetrating injuries (25% of injuries) and falls (10%). Less than 5% of all patients arriving to the emergency department for injuries arrived by ambulance.ConclusionsRoad traffic injuries are by far the largest cause of both morbidity and mortality in Kampala. They are the most common cause of injury for all ages, except those younger than 5, and school-aged children comprise a large proportion of victims from these incidents. The integration of injury control programs with ongoing health initiatives is an urgent priority for health and development

Key Aspects of Health Policy Development to Improve Surgical Services in Uganda

Recently, surgical services have been gaining greater attention as an integral part of public health in low-income countries due to the significant volume and burden of surgical conditions, growing evidence of the cost-effectiveness of surgical intervention, and global disparities in surgical care. Nonetheless, there has been limited discussion of the key aspects of health policy related to surgical services in low-income countries. Uganda, like other low-income sub-Saharan African countries, bears a heavy burden of surgical conditions with low surgical output in health facilities and significant unmet need for surgical care. To address this lack of adequate surgical services in Uganda, a diverse group of local stakeholders met in Kampala, Uganda, in May 2008 to develop a roadmap of key policy actions that would improve surgical services at the national level. The group identified a list of health policy priorities to improve surgical services in Uganda. The priorities were classified into three areas: (1) human resources, (2) health systems, and (3) research and advocacy. This article is a critical discussion of these health policy priorities with references to recent literature. This was the first such multidisciplinary meeting in Uganda with a focus on surgical services and its output may have relevance to health policy development in other low-income countries planning to improve delivery of surgical services

Otorhinolaryngological manifestations of pregnancy in a Nigerian tertiary health center

The objective of our study is to assess the frequency and distribution of ENT symptoms according to trimesters of pregnancy and the effect of these symptoms on the quality of life of pregnant women.This was an observational prospective case control study performed in the department of Otorhinolaryngology, Family Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynaecology in a specialist health institution in Nigeria. A total of 220 women were recruited from the ENT, Family Medicine and Antenatal Clinic for the study, consisting of 110 subject and another 110 age matched  controls following ethical approval. Assessment of ENT complaint and Examinations were carried out using a structured proforma for both subject and controls and compared the values and results presented in tables and figuresAge range for the subject was 17 - 43 years with a mean age of 28.4±5.4 years and age range for the controls is 19 – 43 years with a mean age of 28.1 ±5.3 years. Thirty seven of the subject were in the first trimester another 37 in the second trimester and 36 in the third trimester. The commonest aural manifestations were otalgia and ear fullness, the commonest nasal manifestations were snoring, epistaxis and facial hyperpigmentation while the commonest throat symptoms were Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, sore-throat and dysphagia.We conclude that snoring and epistaxis were the most common symptoms in the third trimester, followed by gastro-oesophageal reflux disease which was also found to be predominant in the first and second trimester. All the symptoms were found to increase with advancement in age of pregnancy except for hearing loss, hoarseness and facial weakness which are not statistically significant in our study.Keywords: Pregnancy; Trimester; Otorhinolaryngology; Manifestation; Snorin