Maize Biodiversity and Food Security Status of Rural Households in the Derived Guinea Savannah of Oyo State, Nigeria

The incidences of food insecurity and loss of crop biodiversity are devastating in the developing countries including Nigeria. The continued loss of genetic diversity of agricultural crops has major negative consequences on food security. This study examined the effects of maize biodiversity on household food security status of rural maize farm households in the southern guinea savannah of Oyo State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 200 maize-farm households. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, recommended daily calorie approach, Logit model, agro-biodiversity indices (Margalef, Shannon and Simpson) and the two-stage least Square. Based on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended daily energy requirement of 2260 Kcal, about 76.5% of the rural households were food secure. The highest proportion of the farmers with abundance of maize cultivars were within 30 to 49 years old, with five to nine household members, had formal education and 10-19 years of farming experience and cultivated five to nine hectares of farmland. Food security headcount increases with maize richness, cultivar evenness and relative abundance. Most of the farmers grow improved varieties such as \u27Tsolo\u27, \u27NS-1\u27, \u27N.S 5\u27, \u27TZB\u27, \u27TZBP\u27, \u27OBA Supper\u27 (Yellow and White) and Popcorn varieties. Farmers growing Tsolo had the highest percentage of abundance, while the least abundant species were \u27NS-1\u27, \u27N.S 5\u27, \u27TZB\u27, \u27TZBP\u27, \u27OBA Supper\u27 (Yellow and White) and Popcorn varieties. Disaggregation of maize diversity into its components showed that its effect on household food security status was based on the age of the farmer and the annual gross farm income. Maize diversity is positively related and truly endogenous to household food security status without reverse causality

Improving access to diagnostics for schistosomiasis case management in oyo state, Nigeria:Barriers and opportunities

Schistosomiasis is one of the Neglected Tropical Diseases that affects over 200 million people worldwide, of which 29million people in Nigeria. The principal strategy for schistosomiasis in Nigeria is a control and elimination program which comprises a school-based Mass Drug Administration (MDA)with limitations of high re-infection rates and the exclusion of high-risk populations. TheWorld Health Organization (WHO) recommends guided case management of schistosomiasis (diagnostic tests or symptom-based detection plus treatment) at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level to ensure more comprehensive morbidity control. However, these require experienced personnel with sufficient knowledge of symptoms and functioning laboratory equipment. Little is known aboutwhere, bywhom and how diagnosis is performed at health facilities within the case management of schistosomiasis in Nigeria. Furthermore, there is a paucity of information on patients' health-seeking behaviour from the onset of disease symptoms until a cure is obtained. In this study, we describe both perspectives in Oyo state, Nigeria and address the barriers using adapted health-seeking stages and access framework. The opportunities for improving case management were identified, such as a prevalence study of high-risk groups, community education and screening, enhancing diagnostic capacity at the PHC through point-of-care diagnostics and strengthening the capability of health workers.</p

Developing inclusive digital health diagnostic for schistosomiasis: a need for guidance via target product profiles

IntroductionThe INSPIRED project aims to develop inclusive Digital Optical Diagnostic Devices (DODDs) for schistosomiasis, to support disease management by enabling rapid diagnostic results, to improve efficient data management to guide decision-making and to provide healthcare workers with critical health information to facilitate follow-up action. Due to the non-availability of Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for guiding the development of digital diagnostics for schistosomiasis, we explored existing diagnostic TPPs.MethodsUsing a curated open access database (Notion database), we studied a selection of TPPs for diagnosing infectious diseases, focusing on specifications related to digital health products for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).ResultsEighteen TPPs originating from 12 documents, covering 13 specific diseases, were selected and their characteristics were labeled and entered into the database. Further exploration of the database revealed several gaps, including a lack of stakeholder input, sustainability, and TPP availability. Other significant gaps related to digital health platform interconnectivity and data stewardship specifically in relation to digital diagnostics, including DODDs.DiscussionThese findings reflect two possible scenarios: (1) there is currently no need for digital diagnostic devices for schistosomiasis and, by extension for other NTDs; or (2) those needs are not yet covered by TPPs. Therefore, we recommend that digital health diagnostics are included in the use cases for schistosomiasis control and elimination, at least in the ideal/desirable scenario, as this will guide research and incentivize investment in digital health diagnostics for schistosomiasis

Social Network Analysis of the Schistosomiasis control program in two local government areas in Oyo state, Nigeria: Insights for NTD elimination plans.

BackgroundSchistosomiasis is one of the neglected tropical diseases targeted for elimination by 2030. Achieving disease elimination requires collaboration between stakeholders, country ownership and the involvement of community-level stakeholders. The state of stakeholder relationship determines the ease and timeliness of meeting disease elimination targets. Mapping stakeholder relationships is critical for assessing gaps in the schistosomiasis control program implementation, and providing a roadmap for improved stakeholder cohesion. The study aimed to measure the cohesiveness of the contact, collaboration and resource-sharing networks, across 2 local government areas in Oyo state, Nigeria.Materials and methodsThis study used a Network Representative design for Social Network Analysis (SNA). The study was conducted within Oyo state, Nigeria using 2 Local Government Areas (LGAs): Ibadan North (urban) and Akinyele (rural). Stakeholders were identified using a link-tracing approach. Data was collected using Qualtrics software from stakeholders across the state, local government, healthcare, academia, and non-governmental organizations. Data was analysed using Gephi software for network cohesion across the three networks.ResultsThe social network analysis revealed high clustering and low density across the three networks implying low cohesion across multiple stakeholder categories. The contact and collaborative networks were the most active with the lowest level of cohesion seen in the resource-sharing network. Stakeholders were more active in the rural LGA than the urban, and stakeholders within the organized governance and public health system were the dominant actors in the schistosomiasis control program.ConclusionThe low cohesion, high clustering and low network density among stakeholders within the schistosomiasis control program should be addressed in other to drive innovation and meet the WHO schistosomiasis elimination target

Table_1_Developing inclusive digital health diagnostic for schistosomiasis: a need for guidance via target product profiles.xlsx

IntroductionThe INSPIRED project aims to develop inclusive Digital Optical Diagnostic Devices (DODDs) for schistosomiasis, to support disease management by enabling rapid diagnostic results, to improve efficient data management to guide decision-making and to provide healthcare workers with critical health information to facilitate follow-up action. Due to the non-availability of Target Product Profiles (TPPs) for guiding the development of digital diagnostics for schistosomiasis, we explored existing diagnostic TPPs.MethodsUsing a curated open access database (Notion database), we studied a selection of TPPs for diagnosing infectious diseases, focusing on specifications related to digital health products for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs).ResultsEighteen TPPs originating from 12 documents, covering 13 specific diseases, were selected and their characteristics were labeled and entered into the database. Further exploration of the database revealed several gaps, including a lack of stakeholder input, sustainability, and TPP availability. Other significant gaps related to digital health platform interconnectivity and data stewardship specifically in relation to digital diagnostics, including DODDs.DiscussionThese findings reflect two possible scenarios: (1) there is currently no need for digital diagnostic devices for schistosomiasis and, by extension for other NTDs; or (2) those needs are not yet covered by TPPs. Therefore, we recommend that digital health diagnostics are included in the use cases for schistosomiasis control and elimination, at least in the ideal/desirable scenario, as this will guide research and incentivize investment in digital health diagnostics for schistosomiasis.</p