Knowledge and attitude of civil servants in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria towards the national health insurance

In Nigeria, inequity and poor accessibility to quality health care has been a persistent problem. This study aimed to determine knowledge and attitude of civil servants in Osun state towards the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). This is a descriptive, cross sectional study of 380 civil servants in the employment of Osun state government, using multi stage sampling method. The research instruments was pre-coded, semi structured, self administered questionnaires. About 60% were aware of out of pocket as the most prevalent form of health care financing, while40% were aware of NHIS, television and billboards were their main sources of awareness, However, none had good knowledge of the components of NHIS, 26.7% knew about its objectives, and 30% knew about whoideally should benefit from the scheme. Personal spending still accounts for a high as 74.7% of health care spending among respondents but respondents believed that this does not cover all their health needs. Only 0.3% have so far benefited from NHIS while 199 (52.5%) of respondents agreed to participate in the scheme. A significant association exists between willingness to participate in the NHIS scheme and awareness of methods of options of health care financing and awareness of NHIS (

Perturbation of spectra properties of 3,4-diphenyl thiophene by polar and non polar solvents

The UV/visible spectra of 3,4-diphenyl thiophene were obtained in various solvents (both polar and non polar). The wave number of transition energies, corresponding molar absorp-tivities and oscillation frequency were determined. Three bands were obtained in solvents such as cyclohexane, propan-2-ol, methanol and ether. Two bands are obtained in n-hexane and 1,2- dichloroethane, while 1,4-dioxane give a single band. Transitions are assigned to these bands according to their shift due to the effect of solvents

Phytochemical and antimicrobial screening of the crude petroleum spirit and methanol extracts of the stem bark, leaves and roots of Ficus thoningii (blume)

Ficus thoningii which has some traditional medicinal uses was investigated. Phytochemical screening of the stem bark, leaves and roots gave positive results for carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins and alkaloids. Antimicrobial screening of the crude petroleum spirit and methanol extracts showed activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Providencia stauti and Bacillus subtilis but no activity was observed against Salmonella typhi. The crude petroleum spiritextracts of the leaves and stem bark of the plant had minimum inhibitory concentrations at 50 mg/ml while the roots had no minimum inhibitory concentration at the test concentration. The crude methanolextracts of the various plant parts showed minimum inhibitory concentration at 50 mg/ml on all the pathogens tested for

The pattern of infection and in vivo response to Chloroquine by uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in northwestern Nigeria

The pattern of infection and in vivo response of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria to Chloroquine as first line drug and Quinine, Halofantrine or Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine as second line medications was evaluated at nested sentinel points, including Government and Private Practices, for three consecutive months. 559 cases were evaluated of which 22.5% failed on Chloroquine therapy. The age range of P. falciparum malaria cases was 4 months to 48 years, with a mean and median age of 9.2 and 3 years, respectively. There were significantly more female patients than male. Also, ages 5 years and below accounted for 63.2% of cases and as a group had an increased risk of treatment failure with Chloroquine compared to older patients. In general, male patients also had a higher relative risk of treatment failure on Chloroquine. Patients treated in Government practices were more likely to fail than those treated in Private practices. All cases of failure to Chloroquine treatment responded to Quinine, Halofantrine or Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine. Key Words: Plasmodium falciparum malaria, Chloroquine, resistance. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.4(1) 2005: 79-8

Awareness and Perception of Androgen Deficiency of Aging Males (ADAM) among Men in Osogbo, Nigeria.

Background: A clinical and biochemical syndrome associated with deficiency of androgen with ageing. Increased longevity of people has rekindled interest in hormonal alterations in the aged. Awareness of the entity is still low among men especially men of African descent.Objective: To evaluate the awareness and perception about ADAM so as to provide basis for evidence based interventions addressing the subject in our environment.Methods:  A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in Olorunda LGA , one of the LGAs that constitute Osogbo metropolis, the capital city of Osun State, Nigeria. A pre-tested, semi structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was applied to 400 men that had been selected using a multistage sampling technique. The sample size was calculated using fischer's formula for cross sectional descriptive surveys and the data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 .Results:  The mean age of respondents was 42.3±14.8 years. Majority (95.5 %) of the respondents had formal education though up to variable levels. Many (43%) of them have never heard about andropause and 54.7% do not know anything about the symptoms. The commonest source of information about andropause among those who are aware is from friends (43.8%), none heard from health workers. Less than half (44.2%) of them believe it is due to aging, while majority (52%) have misconceptions like excessive sexual activity, or diabolical sources. Knowledge about andropause is better among older men (p<0.05) but educational status did not statistically affect it. (p>0.05).Conclusion:  Many men in this environment still have low levels of awareness about andropause . Among those that are aware, there are large knowledge gaps and wrong perceptions of it. Hence the need for more aggressive public education (irrespective of their educational status) about the existence, aetiology and possible negative health effects of andropause.Keywords: Andropause,Hypogonadism, Androgen, Ageing

Sachet water: Prevalence of use, perception and quality in a community of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State

Background: Sachet water is a phenomenon that has gained widespread use as an alternative to the insufficient provision of potable water. It is an alternative that is readily available, affordable but not without concerns about its purity. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of use, perception of safety and assess the quality of sachet water consumed by the population.Methods: A total of 360 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique. A semistructured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data and analysis was done using Epi info software version 3.5.4. The sachet water samples used were purposively selected and analyzed for specified physical, chemical and microbiological parameters and compared to the National and WHOGuidelines for drinking-water quality.Results: There is 93.1% use of sachet water among respondents amongst other sources such as tap water, bottled water, well and stream water. Sixty seven percent of respondents affirmed that sachet water is safe. Analysis of the five different sachet water brands showed normal physical and chemical values. Microbiological analysis showed presence of coliforms in three of the sachet water samples.Conclusion: The presence of contaminated sachet water available to the community increases the risk for waterborne diseases contributing to the already prevailing  cases present in our society at large. There is a need for regulatory bodies to do more to improve the safety of drinking water in communities which will ultimately improve their health status.Key words: sachet water, prevalence of use, perception, qualit