Community-level survey of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive measures in Kwara State, Nigeria : good knowledge vs poor attitude

Publisher Copyright: © 2022Background: The public knowledge and adherence to the established coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) precautionary measures are crucial to Nigeria's war against the pandemic. Public health education on its preventive practices at the grassroots level was initially crucial to achieving a lower COVID-19 incidence in Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods: We assessed the knowledge of, and adherence to COVID-19 precautionary measures at the community level among 795 respondents from the three senatorial zones of Kwara State. Results: 54.5% (433/795) of the respondents were aged between 21 and 40 years, and 45.9% (365/795) of the respondents had a bachelor's degree or higher. Study participants had a good knowledge of COVID-19, its symptoms, and its mode of transmission. 91.8% of the respondents (730/795) had a positive perception of the COVID-19 preventive measures while 96.1% (763/795) of the respondents agreed that maintaining social distance was important in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. However, only 38% (302/795) of them used face masks and only 25.7% (204/795) of the respondents used hand sanitizers. In addition, only 31.9% (253/795) of the respondents isolated themselves when they were ill. Multi-variable logistic regression analysis revealed that education, occupation, gender, and ethnicity were significantly associated with positive COVID-19 preventive practices among residents of Kwara State. Civil servants were more likely (AOR: 3.14; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.67 to 14.82; P = 0.034) to have positive preventive attitudes than other respondents. Study participants with tertiary education and those that were Yoruba (ethnicity) were 14.81 times more likely (95% CI: 4.29 to 51.05; P = 0.001) and 5.19 times more likely (95% CI: 1.82 to 14.84; P = 0.007) to have positive attitudes towards the laid-down COVID-19 preventive measures respectively. Conclusion: The poor community adherence to the COVID-19 preventive practices could pre-dispose Kwara to more COVID-19 cases. More community engagement activities are needed to fully curb the spread of the COVID-19. Public health education should focus on preventive measures, vaccine acceptance, and community monitoring of COVID-19.Peer reviewe

Co-occurrence of antibiotic and disinfectant resistance genes in extensively drug-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from broilers in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria

Objectives: The occurrence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria in poultry poses the public health threat of zoonotic transmission to humans. Hence, this study assessed the occurrence of drug-resistant Escherichia coli in broilers in the largest live bird market in Kwara State, Nigeria in December 2020. Methods: Presumptive E. coli isolates were isolated using the European Union Reference Laboratory guideline of 2017 and confirmed via matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). Broth microdilution was performed on confirmed E. coli isolates to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. Five extensively drug-resistant (XDR) isolates were selected for Illumina whole genome sequencing to predict the resistome, phylotype, sequence type, serotype, and diversity of mobile genetic elements in these isolates. Results: Of the 181 broiler caecal samples, 73 E. coli isolates were obtained, of which 67 (82.0%) and 37 (50.6%) were determined as MDR (resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics) and XDR (resistant to at least five classes of antibiotics), respectively. Whole genome sequencing revealed diverse sequence types, phylogroups, and serotypes (ST165/B1 - O80:H19, ST115/A - Unknown: H7, ST901/B1 - O109:H4, ST4087/F - O117:H42, and ST8324/A - O127:H42). The XDR E. coli isolates encoded resistance to fluoroquinolones, fosfomycin, sulfamethoxazole, ampicillin and cephalosporins, trimethoprim, aminoglycosides, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, and macrolides. Mutations in the gyr A gene conferring resistance to fluoroquinolones were also detected. There was a positive correlation between phenotypic resistance patterns and the antibiotic resistance genes that were detected in the sequenced isolates. The XDR isolates also harbored two disinfectant resistance genes ( qac E and sit ABCD) that conferred resistance to hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonium compounds, respectively. The genome of the XDR isolates harbored several mobile genetic elements and virulence-associated genes, which were conserved in all sequenced XDR isolates. Conclusions: This is the first report of co-carriage of antibiotic resistance genes and disinfectant resistance genes in E. coli isolated from broilers in Ilorin, Nigeria. Our findings suggest that poultry are potential carriers of clonally diverse, pathogenic, MDR/XDR E. coli, which may have detrimental zoonotic potentials on human health. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of International Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )Peer reviewe

Perception of canine rabies among pupils under 15 years in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Al-Mustapha et al.Rabies is an endemic, highly fatal, and vaccine-preventable disease with severe socio-eco-nomic implications. Most (99%) human rabies cases are transmitted through dog bites. Children under 15 years account for 40% of all dog bite victims and 35–50% of all rabies deaths. Rabies awareness among this vulnerable group is critical to rabies prevention. However, there is a paucity of data on rabies awareness among pupils under 15. Hence, this study assessed the awareness and attitude of pupils under 15 years towards canine rabies in Kwara state in Nigeria. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey of 1,388 pupils across the state using a structured questionnaire that was administered as a one-on-one interview using the Open Data Kit on Android phones in December 2019. Of the 1388 pupils included in this study, only 21.7% (n = 301) of them were aware of rabies. The mean rabies score was 1.7±0.8 and only 29.2% (n = 88/301) of the pupils had adequate knowledge of canine rabies. The dog ownership rate was 18.7% (n = 259) with an average of 1.93 dogs per household. Approximately 5% (n = 66) of the pupils have been previously bitten by a dog. One-third of the dog bite victims (35%, n = 23/66) were managed and treated at home and only 12% (n = 8/66) were treated in a health facility. The result of the multivariable logis-tic regression showed that students aged between 13–15 years were more likely (OR: 1.93; 95% CI: 0.72–3.01; p < 0.001) to have adequate knowledge of rabies than the younger pupils. Similarly, pupils that have dogs in their households (OR: 2.09; 95%CI: 1.49–2.75; p < 0.001) and those that reside in Kwara South (OR:1.78 95% CI:1.29, 2.44; p < 0.001) were more likely to be aware and have adequate knowledge of canine rabies respectively. Finally, Pupils from non-dog-owning households were more likely (OR:2.2; 95% CI: 1.45, 4.42; p < 0.001) to have been bitten by dogs than those from dog-owning households. The awareness and attitude of pupils under 15 to canine rabies was poor. We advocate the introduction of rabies lessons into the school curriculum in Kwara State to reduce the incidence of dog bites and prevent dog-mediated human rabies.Peer reviewe

Baseline epidemiology and associated dog ecology study towards stepwise elimination of rabies in Kwara state, Nigeria

Understanding domestic dog population dynamics and ecology is crucial to any effective rabies control program. This study was conducted as part of the baseline epidemiological studies necessary for the establishment of the Kwara Rabies Rapid Alert System "KRRAS". This study aimed to determine the dog population structure of Kwara State by assessing the dog ownership, vaccination status, and prevalence of dog bites. A total of 1460 questionnaires were administered to respondents in the three senatorial zones of the state using Open Data Kit (ODK) between June 2019 to January 2020. Of the 1460 households surveyed, 293 (20.1 %) owned at least one dog with an average of 2.25 dogs per household. The male to female ratio was 1.9:1 and 79.3 % (n = 523/659) of the owned dogs were local breeds. A total of 785 dogs was enumerated (659 dogs from 293 households and 126 free-roaming dogs) and 7811 persons which resulted in a dog-human ratio of 1:9.95. The estimated dog population is 376,789 (95 % CI: 343,700 - 379,878). Only 31 % (n = 204/659) of households vaccinated their dogs against rabies. The prevalence of dog-bite was 13 % (n = 193/1460) of which only 27 % of the victims (n = 61/225) received post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). Dog ownership was significantly impacted by the ethnicity of respondents. Hausa (OR: 3.76; 95 % CI: 1.15-12.4; p &lt; 0.001) and Nupe (OR: 4.48; 95 % CI: 1.77-11.33; p &lt; 0.001) respondents owned dogs than Yoruba respondents. The rabies vaccination status of owned dogs was significantly impacted by the level of education (OR: 5.03; 95 % CI: 1.50-16.83; p &lt; 0.001); history of previous dog bite incidents (OR: 1.74; 95 % CI: 0.95-3.17; p &lt; 0.001); the breed of the dog with exotic dogs being more vaccinated (OR: 2.79: 95 % 0.64-12.05; p &lt; 0.001). Similarly, Male dogs (OR: 1.49, 95 % 1.03-2.86; p &lt; 0.001) and partially confined dogs (OR: 1.09, 95 % 0.45-2.11, p &lt; 0.001) were found to be vaccinated against rabies. The results of the study showed low dog vaccination coverage, and high number of free roaming dogs. Hence, a threat to public health. The low dog vaccination coverage is below the 70-80 % target recommended for herd immunity by the World Health Organization.</p

Monkeypox Outbreak: Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance Perspective

Monkeypox disease (MPXD), a viral disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), is an emerging zoonotic disease endemic in some countries of Central and Western Africa but seldom reported outside the affected region. Since May 2022, MPXD has been reported at least in 74 countries globally, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the MPXD outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. As of July 24, 2022, 92% (68/74) of the countries with reported MPXD cases had no historical MPXD case reports. From the One Health perspective, the spread of MPXV in the environment poses a risk not only to humans but also to small mammals and may, ultimately, spread to potent novel host populations. Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS), has been extensively utilized for monitoring communicable diseases, particularly during the ongoing coronavirus disease, the COVID-19 pandemic It helped to monitor infectious disease caseloads as well as specific viral variants circulating in communities. The detection of MPXV DNA in various body fluids, including respiratory and nasal secretions, saliva, urine, feces, and semen of infected individuals, supports the possibility of using WBS as an early proxy for the detection of MPXV infections. WBS of MPXV DNA can be used to monitor MPXV activity/trends in sewerage network areas even before detecting laboratory-confirmed clinical cases within a community. However, several factors affect the detection of MPXV in wastewater including, but not limited to, routes and duration time of virus shedding by infected individuals, infection rates in the relevant affected population, environmental persistence, the processes and analytical sensitivity of the used methods. Further research is needed to identify the key factors that impact the detection of MPXV biomarkers in wastewater and improve the utility of WBS of MPXV as an early warning and monitoring tool for safeguarding human health. In this review, we shortly summarize aspects of MPXV outbreak relevant to wastewater monitoring and discuss the challenges associated with WBS.Peer reviewe

Scienceploration 2023

The Scienceploration Camp is an initiative of the Centre for Pre-University Studies, UNIMAS (PPPU), which aims to increase the interest in science among secondary school students. It is also an effort taken by PPPU towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals 4 in providing equal quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all. On top of that, this camp supports Sarawak’s Digital Economy Strategy in nurturing an integrated ecosystem to foster inclusive digital society, by building the right foundations to grow our local digital economy

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Global burden of chronic respiratory diseases and risk factors, 1990–2019: an update from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Updated data on chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are vital in their prevention, control, and treatment in the path to achieving the third UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a one-third reduction in premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by 2030. We provided global, regional, and national estimates of the burden of CRDs and their attributable risks from 1990 to 2019. Methods: Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we estimated mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), prevalence, and incidence of CRDs, i.e. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pneumoconiosis, interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis, and other CRDs, from 1990 to 2019 by sex, age, region, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) in 204 countries and territories. Deaths and DALYs from CRDs attributable to each risk factor were estimated according to relative risks, risk exposure, and the theoretical minimum risk exposure level input. Findings: In 2019, CRDs were the third leading cause of death responsible for 4.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 3.6–4.3) with a prevalence of 454.6 million cases (417.4–499.1) globally. While the total deaths and prevalence of CRDs have increased by 28.5% and 39.8%, the age-standardised rates have dropped by 41.7% and 16.9% from 1990 to 2019, respectively. COPD, with 212.3 million (200.4–225.1) prevalent cases, was the primary cause of deaths from CRDs, accounting for 3.3 million (2.9–3.6) deaths. With 262.4 million (224.1–309.5) prevalent cases, asthma had the highest prevalence among CRDs. The age-standardised rates of all burden measures of COPD, asthma, and pneumoconiosis have reduced globally from 1990 to 2019. Nevertheless, the age-standardised rates of incidence and prevalence of interstitial lung disease and pulmonary sarcoidosis have increased throughout this period. Low- and low-middle SDI countries had the highest age-standardised death and DALYs rates while the high SDI quintile had the highest prevalence rate of CRDs. The highest deaths and DALYs from CRDs were attributed to smoking globally, followed by air pollution and occupational risks. Non-optimal temperature and high body-mass index were additional risk factors for COPD and asthma, respectively. Interpretation: Albeit the age-standardised prevalence, death, and DALYs rates of CRDs have decreased, they still cause a substantial burden and deaths worldwide. The high death and DALYs rates in low and low-middle SDI countries highlights the urgent need for improved preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic measures. Global strategies for tobacco control, enhancing air quality, reducing occupational hazards, and fostering clean cooking fuels are crucial steps in reducing the burden of CRDs, especially in low- and lower-middle income countries