The female teacher trainee scholarship scheme: operational research study for UNICEF Girls Education Project Phase 3 (GEP3)

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Illness-related practices for the management of childhood malaria among the Bwatiye people of north-eastern Nigeria

BACKGROUND: A wide range of childhood illnesses are accompanied by fever,, including malaria. Child mortality due to malaria has been attributed to poor health service delivery system and ignorance. An assessment of a mother's ability to recognize malaria in children under-five was carried out among the Bwatiye, a poorly-served minority ethnic group in north-eastern Nigeria. METHODS: A three-stage research design involving interviews, participatory observation and laboratory tests was used to seek information from 186 Bwatiye mothers about their illness-related experiences with childhood fevers. RESULTS: Mothers classified malaria into male (fever that persists for longer than three days) and female (fever that goes away within three days) and had a system of determining when febrile illness would not be regarded as malaria. Most often, malaria would be ignored in the first 2 days before seeking active treatment. Self-medication was the preferred option. Treatment practices and sources of help were influenced by local beliefs, the parity of the mother and previous experience with child mortality. CONCLUSION: The need to educate mothers to suspect malaria in every case of febrile illness and take appropriate action in order to expose the underlying "evil" will be more acceptable than an insistence on replacing local knowledge with biological epidemiology of malaria. The challenge facing health workers is to identify and exploit local beliefs about aetiology in effecting management procedures among culturally different peoples, who may not accept the concept of biological epidemiology

Assessment of implementation modalities of the anchor borrowers’ programme in Nigeria

To avoid the moribund path of most of the earlier implemented agricultural-based development projects and programmes, this article reviewed the implementation modalities of the Anchor Borrowers’ programme while making useful suggestions for effective and sustainable results-based implementation. The article relied on content analyses and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats strategic planning tool to reach its conclusion. While noting the strength of the programme, there is doubt as to the conduct of project appraisal; implementation arrangements are unclear, while overlaps exist in the roles of stakeholders. Thus, the study affirms that political pressure should never be made to becloud sound project preparation, while sustaining awareness for increased programme participation to avoid exclusion and confusion. It is also imperative to put in place a credible results-based framework and modalities for the conduct of baseline and subsequent performance assessment structure for the purposes of learning and accountability to Nigerians.Keywords: Anchor borrowers’ programme, results, performance assessment, learning, accountability, Central Bank of Nigeri

A study on presumptive diagnosis and home management of childhood malaria among Nomadic Fulani in Demsa, Nigeria

Magister Public Health - MPHDespite their high level of exposure, vulnerability and uniquely itinerant culture, the local knowledge of the nomadic Fulani population is not taken into account in the development of Nigeria’s home management of malaria policy. Programme-relevant information for extending access to an ethnographic study of factors that nomads use for presumption of malaria in children was collected from dry-season campsites in Demsa Local Government Area of Northeastern Nigeria. Mothers of under-five children with previous experiences at presumptive malaria management from 9 randomly selected nomadic Fulani camps were interviewed. The obtained information was used to develop a guide for key informant interviews of nomadic Fulani cultural consultants and elders, health service providers and policymakers. Findings indicate that nomads presume malaria when a child has “hot body” or lack appetite. Nomads believe that fever accumulates in the body as one steps on wet grounds during the rains. The nascent disease is triggered by the consumption of fruits that resemble the colour of urine such as the light complexioned skin of the Fulani. Fever is therefore regarded as natural affliction of the Fulani for which there is no cure. All fevers are referred to as paboje and expected to go away on the third recrudescence. Fever that persists after the third recurrence is called djonte which is treated at home without health facility support. Besides physical accessibility, the unfriendliness and lack of respect of health personnel for nomadic Fulani culture were reasons for avoiding health facilities. These factors encourage home management of djonte with antimalaria on the presumption that they are all malaria-induced. The nomads are willing to participate in interventions that will improve management of fevers and malaria among them. Although this preliminary study provides the foundation for appreciating the basis of home management of malaria among the nomads, complementary quantitative information will be required for holistic understanding of how these factors may interrelate to influence malaria intervention programme for the nomadic Fulani.South Afric

IDEAS project - Scaling-up innovations to improve maternal and newborn health - Nigeria case study resources

The IDEAS project sought to improve the health and survival of mothers and babies through generating evidence to inform policy and practice in Ethiopia, northeast Nigeria and Uttar Pradesh, India. This data collection contains interview field notes and supporting information produced as part of a case study to investigate how an emergency transport scheme for pregnant women and newborn babies introduced in Gombe state had been scaled up to Adamawa state by Transaid and the Society for Family Health, working with National Union of Transport Workers

Flood and cassave productivity in Kogi State, Nigeria: A quantitative analysis using cross-sectional data

The study assessed the effect of the 2012 flood disaster on cassava productivity in Kogi State and identified the adaptation measures and resilience capacity of the cassava farmers affected by the flood. To achieve the objectives of the study, the “with and without” approach involving the flood affected farmers and control group was employed to ascertain and compare the effect of the flood on cassava productivity. Simple descriptive statistics, productivity index, z-test of two means and multiple regression analysis were employed to analyse the data collected. The result indicated a significant cassava productivity differentials of about 56% between the flood affected farmers and the control population. The multiple regression analysis result further confirmed that flood had a significant effect on cassava productivity amongst the respondents at 5% level of significance. Against this backdrop, there is the need for farmers to continue to diversify their farming practices with a view to mitigating the effect of future flood occurrence, adopt drought resistant cassava varieties while the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should in conjunction with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Kogi State Government and the Media create effective climatic situation awareness for  cassava farmers within the State with the view to containing and minimizing the adverse effect of flooding. Key Words: Flood, Disaster, Adaptation, Resilience, Cassava farmers, Productivity

Factors Affecting Perceived Stigma in Leprosy Affected Persons in Western Nepal

Background There are various factors which construct the perception of stigma in both leprosy affected persons and unaffected persons. The main purpose of this study was to determine the level of perceived stigma and the risk factors contributing to it among leprosy affected person attending the Green Pastures Hospital, Pokhara municipality of western Nepal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 people affected by leprosy at Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. Persons above the age of 18 were interviewed using a set of questionnaire form and Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC). In addition, two sets of focused group discussions each containing 10 participants from the ward were conducted with the objectives of answering the frequently affected EMIC items. Results Among 135 leprosy affected persons, the median score of perceived stigma was 10 while it ranged from 0–34. Higher perceived stigma score was found in illiterate persons (p = 0.008), participants whose incomes were self-described as inadequate (p = 0.014) and who had changed their occupation due to leprosy (p = 0.018). Patients who lacked information on leprosy (p = 0.025), knowledge about the causes (p = 0.02) and transmission of leprosy (p = 0.046) and those who had perception that leprosy is a severe disease (p<0.001) and is difficult to treat (p<0.001) had higher perceived stigma score. Participants with disfigurement or deformities (p = 0.014), ulcers (p = 0.022) and odorous ulcers (p = 0.043) had higher perceived stigma score. Conclusion The factors associated with higher stigma were illiteracy, perceived economical inadequacy, change of occupation due to leprosy, lack of knowledge about leprosy, perception of leprosy as a severe disease and difficult to treat. Similarly, visible deformities and ulcers were associated with higher stigma. There is an urgent need of stigma reduction strategies focused on health education and health awareness programs in addition to the necessary rehabilitation support

Stimulation of Haemopoetic Activity in Bone Marrow and Deformation of Red Blood Cells in Albino Mice, Mus musculus Exposed to Radiations from GSM Base Stations

The levels of radiofrequency radiations around two global systems for mobile communication (GSM) base stations located around a residential quarter and workplace complex were measured. The effects of the radiofrequency radiations on albino mice placed in exposure cages and located around the base stations over a six months period were investigated. The levels of radiofrequency (RF) radiations around the base stations were found to range between 383 mV/m to 730 mV/m compared to 59 mV/m in control stations. In the exposed mice, a pattern of pancytosis was observed and significant increases were observed in the Packed Cell Volume (PCV), White Cell Count (WBC), Platelet count (PLT) and Red Cell Count (RCC) throughout the period of exposure in both stations when compared with control values. No significant (p>0.05) differences were observed in these values when both stations were compared. After 90 days of exposure, marginal increases occurred in the mean cell volume of exposed mice at station 1 and 2 (53.1±3.6fl Vs 55.9±1.8fl and 57.9±0.25fl respectively), with the mean cell haemoglobin concentration showing significant reduction after 180 days of exposure at station 2 (27.9±2.4g/dl Vs 25.7±0.29g/dl;

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Reactor Temperature on Soft and Hardwood Pyrolysis Characteristics in a Fixed-Bed Reactor

In this work, product yield distribution at varying reactor temperatures during wood pyrolysis was investigated. Hard and soft wood samples (Mahogany- Khaya senegalensis and Gmelina- Gmelina arborea, respectively) were procured from Pakiotan sawmill in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria. The samples were cut into cuboid shape, each with an average weight of 20 g. The samples were then pyrolyzed in a fixed bed reactor. Experiments were performed at five temperature level (350, 450, 550, 650 and 750 oC) at a fixed holding time of fifteen 15 mins and at vacuum pressure. The weight of char, tar and gas produced in each experiment were then measured, recorded and expressed in percentage of initial weight of the pyrolyzed sample. Results showed that Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) gave maximum char, tar and gas yield of 39.43% at 350 oC, 42.53% at 350 oC and 53.93% at 750 oC, respectively, while for Gmelina (Gmelina arborea), the maximum yields were 28.35% at 350 oC for char, 24.81% at 350 oC for tar and 68.11% at 750 oC for gas. The minimum yield of Mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) for char, tar and gas were 28.35% at 750 oC, 17.72% at 750 oC and 18.04% at 350 oC, respectively and for Gmelina (Gmelina arborea), 17.72% at 750 oC, 14.18% at 750 oC and 46.84% at 350 oC, respectively. This study showed that char and tar yields decreased while gas yield increased as pyrolysis temperature increased. At all temperatures considered, gas yields were higher than tar and char yields for softwood while for hardwood, tar yield declined with increase in temperature with accompanying increase in gas yield. Keywords: Biomass, hardwood, softwood, energy, reactor temperature, pyrolysi

Zoonotic Enteric Parasites among Pastoralists, Cattle, and Soil in the Upper Benue Trough of Northeastern Nigeria

The occupation, lifestyle, and lack of formal education among pastoralists place them at higher risk of zoonoses. Moreover, zoonoses among pastoralists and their livestock in the Upper Benue Trough in northeastern Nigeria has not been studied holistically. Therefore, we investigated zoonotic enteric parasite (ZEP) infections by Entamoba spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis, Fasciola spp., Taenia spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. among this group. Demographic information and faecal samples were collected from humans and cattle in 12 pastoral communities along the trough using a cross-sectional, observational study design. Soil samples were also collected from homes. Specimens were examined microscopically for ZEPs and the data were analysed. The prevalence of ZEPs was 40.3% among humans, 48.2% among cattle, and 74.6% in home soil. The prevalence of ZEP infections among humans did not differ significantly with respect to gender and husbandry practices, but did differ significantly with respect to age and clan. There was a strong correlation (R=0.750) between ZEP prevalence in humans, cattle, and soil across study communities. The correlation between the distribution of ZEPs in different sample categories across communities strongly suggests that zoonotic transmission of ZEP is ongoing in the study area. Adopting an integrated approach to intervention will potentially be more effective in disease control. Further investigation, continuous monitoring, and surveillance are recommended to forestall enteric infection outbreaks