Intestinal Helminthiasis among School Children in Ilie, Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria

A cross sectional study of intestinal helminthiasis among school pupils was undertaken in three primary schools in Ilie in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun state in order to determine the prevalence and intensity of helminthic infections. The relationship between intestinal helminths and anthropometric indices and the factors that could favour the infection were also studied. Faecal samples from three hundred and four (304) randomly selected out of the four hundred and seven (407) school children in the study area were collected and analysed with the semi-quantitative Kato Katz technique and concentrated method. The intensity of infection was classified into light, moderate or high according to World Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds. The overall prevalence rate was 52.0% while five species of intestinal helminths were identified. Ascaris lumbricoides (36.2%) was the most common, followed by Hookworm (10.5%), Schistosoma mansoni (4%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.7%) and Hymenolepis nana (0.7%). Multiple helminthic infection were recorded with Ascaris –Hookworm (6.58%) having the highest prevalence among the children. Female (56.6%) were more infected than male (46.4%) and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0019). Seventeen percent (17%) of the children were below the third percentile for weight (wasted) while fourteen percent (14%) were below the third percentile for height (stunted). There was a relationship between intensity of infection and wasting since there were fewer underweight pupils (13%) with normal stool than those moderately infected (35%) (

Knowledge and utilization of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in primary health care centers in rural southwest, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intermittent preventive treatment for prevention of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is a key component of malaria control strategy in Nigeria and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the drug of choice. Despite the evidence of the effectiveness of IPTp strategy using SP in reducing the adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy the uptake and coverage in Nigeria is low. This study set out to assess the use of IPTp among pregnant women attending primary health centres in the rural area and determine factors that influence the uptake.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out between July and August 2007 among 209 pregnant women selected by systematic random sampling from antenatal care attendees at primary health care in a rural Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Information on knowledge of IPT, delivery, adherence and acceptability was obtained using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as means, range, proportions were used. Chi-square test was used to examine association between categorical variables. All analyses were performed at 5% level of significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred and nine of 209 (52.2%) respondents have heard about IPTp but only 26 (23.9%) were able to define it. Fifty seven (27.3%) reported to have received at least one dose of IPTp during the index pregnancy and all were among those who have heard of IPTp (52.3%). Twenty one of the 57 (36.8%) took the SP in the clinic. Only three of the twenty-one (14.3%) were supervised by a health worker. Twenty two of the 36 women (61.1%) who did not take their drugs in the clinic would have liked to do so if allowed to bring their own drinking cups. Almost half (43.9%) of those who had used IPTp during the index pregnancy expressed concern about possible adverse effect of SP on their pregnancies. Periodic shortages of SP in the clinics were also reported.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, IPTp use among pregnant women was very low and there was poor adherence to the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) scheme. Concerted effort should be made to increase awareness of IPTp among the public especially women of child bearing age. Health workers should also be trained and monitored to ensure adherence.</p

Attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing among unmarried youths in Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area, Nigeria

This study assessed the attitude of unmarried youths towards Mandatory Premarital HIV Testing (MPHT) in Ibadan Northwest Local Government Area. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select 571unmarried youths from households. A validated questionnaire was used for the collection of the data. Descriptive, Chi-square statistics and logistics regression were used to analyze the data. Mean age of respondents was 20.6 ± 2.6 years, 52.0% were males and 52.7% had completed their senior secondary education. Though 82.8% believed that MPHT could reduce the spread of HIV, 43.8% stated that it will increase the stigma associated with HIV infection. Attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing however was positive. Males were about two times more likely to have positive attitude towards mandatory pre-marital HIV testing (OR=1.507, CI=1.067-2.129). Positive attitude towards MPHT among study respondents offers a window of opportunity of undergoing HIV testing before marriage (Afr J Reprod Health 2010; 14[1]:83-94)

Antibiogram of Klebsiella Pneumoniae urinary isolates of apparently healthy individuals in Osogbo Metropolis, Nigeria

One thousand (1,000) urine samples from apparently healthy subjects were cultured for Klebsiella pneumoniae and its antibiotic susceptibility profile to commonly used antimicrobial drugs was determined. The study was conducted in two randomly selected local government areas within Osogbo metropolis. The occurrence rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae was 38 (3.8%) and isolate were highly resistant to Tetracycline (92.1%), Amoxyllin (76.3%) and Co-trimoxazole (71.9%). Resistance to gentamicin was moderate (63.2%) while Ofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid and pefloxacin were very effective with 92.1%, 84.2%, 78.9% and 76.3% respectively sensitive to it and Cephalexin (57.9%) was moderately sensitive. More females {55.3%} than males (44.7%} had the highest infection rate and the difference was statistically significant (

Heavy metals contamination of water, soil, and plants around an electronic waste dumpsite

Electronic waste (e-waste) has become a subject of growing environmental concern in developing countries due to legal/illegal import of electronics from developed nations. In this study, concentrations of heavy metals in and around the largest e-waste dumping site in Nigeria, Alaba International Market in Lagos, was investigated. Concentrations of five heavy metals, namely: cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) in soil, water, and plant samples during the wet and dry seasons were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Samples were collected between October 2011 and May 2012 and digested using standard wet digestion methods. Pb recorded the highest values, while the lowest were found for Cd in all the samples during the dry season. Heavy metal concentrations were generally lower during the wet season due to increased aeration and dilution from rainfall. Results show that the total mean concentrations of the heavy metals decreased with depth in soil samples and distance from the dumpsite. Possible sources of contamination were also discussed. A noteworthy observation was that the concentrations of most of the heavy metals under investigation exceeded maximum permissible levels

Prevalence of malaria among the nomadic Fulani in Osun state, southwest Nigeria

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malaria among the nomadic Fulani in Osun state, Nigeria. In this study, 102 blood samples were collected from male and female nomads and assayed by Giemsa staining of thick and thin blood film for detection and identification of plasmodium species and parasitaemia count for determination of parasitaemia load. Malaria prevalence was 55.9%. All infection was diagnosed as Plasmodium falciparum infection. Malaria prevalence was high in children, while location, age, sex, the use of bed net and the type of prophylaxis and therapeutic drugs used had no significant influence on prevalence.Keywords: Malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, nomadic Fulani, Nigeria International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(2): 223-227, 201