Community perception of school-based mass drug administration program for soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosomiasis in Ogun State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Neglected tropical diseases, such as soil-transmitted helminths and Schistosomiasis, are prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ogun State, Nigeria. School-based mass drug administration program is the primary control intervention, but the coverage and uptake of this intervention have been inadequate. This study aimed to investigate community perceptions of school-based mass drug administration programs for these infections in Ogun State, Nigeria, and identify the barriers to their uptake and coverage. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The study used a qualitative research approach involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with community members and stakeholders engaged in neglected tropical disease control programs in Ogun State, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire guided the exploration of ideas, and the data were analyzed using the QRS Nvivo 12 software package. The study found several barriers, such as the influence of parents, lack of sufficient knowledge, and side effects. The study recommended strategies such as improving community sensitization and engagement, drug distribution and performance, and enhancing partner collaboration and coordination to improve the school-based mass drug administration programs. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The study revealed correct perceptions of transmission but some misconceptions about disease causation, transmission, and drug safety. Participants expressed a desire for better sensitization campaigns and more assurances of their safety. The study recommends strengthening health education messages and increasing the visibility of on-site medical personnel. The findings have implications for improving the performance of these programs and reducing the burden of intestinal parasitic infections in the community. The study highlights the need for community engagement and education, health system support, and partner collaboration to successfully implement mass drug administration programs

Hydrochemistry and multi-isotope study of the waters from Hanlé-Gaggadé grabens (Republic of Djibouti, East African Rift System): A low-enthalpy geothermal resource from a transboundary aquifer

Water from ten thermal springs, five drinking-water boreholes and one hand-dug well from Hanlé-Gaggadé grabens has been analyzed for major-minor hydrogeochemical parameters and multi-isotope composition: δ2H(H2O), δ18O(H2O), δ18O(SO42−), δ34S(SO42−), δ13C(DIC), 14C(DIC), and δ11B. The interaction of the thermal water with both silicic (basaltic) and sedimentary rocks and its low enthalpy (T ≤ 150 °C) regime make this area an optimal site for testing chemical and isotope geothermometers and optimizing them for similar difficult cases. In this study, the use of radiogenic carbon (14C) reveals that the age of the deep aquifer is between 12,500 and 8700 years ago (late Pleistocene/early-to-mid Holocene), which places it within the East African Humid Period. The oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope ratios of the water molecules, δ2H(H2O), δ18O(H2O), show common characteristics between the groundwater from this area and that of groundwater from nearby local lakes (Asal-Abhé) and palaeolakes (Sakalol-Hanlé-Gaggadé-Dobi), which were interconnected during that period to form the terminal Awash River Basin. The comparison of these aquifers within the transboundary aquifer located between northeast Ethiopia and Djibouti helps to reconstruct both the palaeoenvironmental history and the hydrogeochemical characteristics of this regional aquifer. At present, these data are poorly defined, but it is of fundamental importance for the constructive use of water resources in arid areas. Finally, a conceptual model was proposed for the Hanlé-Gaggadé low-enthalpy geothermal system on the basis of the geochemical and isotope data on the thermal and non-thermal groundwaters combined with geological and tectonic information and the results of recent geophysical studies