Prevalence, co-prevalence and risk factors of pulmonary paragonimiasis and pulmonary tuberculosis in Nigerian Children in the Niger Delta Area

Background: Nigeria has the highest burden of paragonimiasis in Africa and it is also among the high burden  countries with tuberculosis. The true prevalence of these reemerging diseases is unknown in the country.Objective: To determine the prevalence and co-prevalence of these re-emerging diseases among children in a rural Nigerian community.Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.Setting: Ewang, a rural fishing community in Mbo Local government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.Subjects: Primary and secondary school children aged 5-18years living in Ewang village, Mbo Local government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.Results: A total of 204 children were examined: 91(44.6%) were males, while 113(55.4%) were females. Ten of the subjects were sputum positive for paragonimus eggs, giving an overall prevalence rate of 4.9%, while six children were sputum positive for pulmonary tuberculosis with a prevalence rate of 2.9%. There was no case of co-infection. The peak age prevalence of paragonimus ova-positive and Acid and Alcohol fast positive subjects was recorded in the five to nine year old age group with prevalence rate of 5.6% and 7.4% respectively. There was a female  preponderance among the paragonimus ova-positive subjects (90%) and the AAFB positive subjects (66.7%).Conclusions: The findings show that paragonimiasis is an emerging/ re-emerging disease in southern Nigeria and further confirmed that the prevalence of tuberculosis is still on an upward rise

Effectiveness of didactic training on the cognitive knowledge of health professionals on neonatal resuscitation in southern Nigeria

Background: Nigeria has a high neonatal mortality rate. Most of these deaths can be prevented by providing adequate training for health providers with available and functional basic resuscitation equipments. Our aim was to assess the effect of training on the cognitive knowledge of health practitioners on neonatal resuscitation.Method: We conducted neonatal resuscitation trainings for selected health professionals from all the senatorial districts of Akwa Ibom State, based on the Neonatal Resuscitation programme (NRP) of the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP). The facilitators were trained and certified in the NRP train-the trainers program of the AAP conducted by the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN). Pre -and post-test were organized during the training and the test scores analyzed to assess any improvement in the knowledge of the health professionals on neonatal resuscitation.Results: One hundred and eightyone health professionals were trained over a two year period. Sixty five (35.9%) were doctors, while 116 (64.9%) were nurses. Physicians had similar pre- test but significantly higher post- test scores compared to the nurses: 46.35±15.34 vs 43.70± 14.51; p=0.34 and 76.14±13.02vs 66.29±15.7; p=0.04 respectively. All the health professionals showed significantly higher posttest scores compared to the pre-test scores; p=0.001 respectively. There was also a negative relationship between the number of practice years and the pre-training scores for the physicians and nurses; spearman rho= -0.18; p=0.45 and -0.43;p=0.003 respectively.Conclusion: Neonatal resuscitation training leads to an improvement in the cognitive knowledge of health practitioners. All health practitioners should be trained irrespective of number of practice years. Further studies are required to assess its long term impact on neonatal mortality.Keywords: Neonatal Resuscitation Training, knowledge, healt

Knowledge, Attitude And Perception Of Epilepsy Among Traditional Healers In Uyo, Nigeria

The poor knowledge of epilepsy among traditional healers is due to cultural prejudices and environment. The resultant deep-rooted misconceptions and myths negatively affect the attitudes and encourage traditional care with high morbidity and mortality. The objectives of the study were to assess knowledge of epilepsy among traditional healers and to determine the modalities used in the care. One hundred and seventy three traditional healers from villages/communities in Uyo were assessed for knowledge; attitude and perception of epilepsy, using an interviewer assisted Attitude Questionnaire. Data from 166 (95.9%) healers, consisting of 123 (71.1%) males and 43 (24.8%) females were analyzed. Many of the healers, 139 (83.7%) had little or no formal education. Knowledge about causes, diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy was poor; 74 (44.6%) attributed the cause of epilepsy to witchcraft, 53 (31.9%) to spiritual attacks, 23 (13.9%) punishment for sins. A total of 121 (72%) of them diagnosed epilepsy through oracles/gods. Majority, 161 (97.0%) of the healers preferred native treatment; 54 (32.5%) appeased gods/ancestors, 47 (28.3%) used herbs, roots/animal residues as cure, 10 (6.0%) preferred spiritual/prayers; while 48 (28.9%) used a combination of the rituals. There were prevalent negative attitudes and perception about epilepsy among the healers, as 146 (88.0%) of them viewed it as contagious; 149 (89.8%) would decline either marrying or eating with epileptic persons. Although traditional healers are frequently involved in the care of epilepsy in our environment, they have little or no scientific knowledge about the condition. Adequate knowledge about epilepsy is essential for diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, there is need to improve the knowledge about epilepsy in order to encourage positive attitudes and care. KEY WORDS: Knowledge; Attitude; Perception; Epilepsy; Traditional healer

Effect Of Tillage And Mulching Practices On Soil Properties And Growth And Yield Of Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L), Walp) In Southeastern Nigeria.

This paper reports the field evaluation of the effect of tillage [tilled (MT) and untilled, (NT)], mulching material [Panicum maximum (p) and Chromolaena odorata (c)] and mulching method [incorporated (b), surface (s) and no mulch (o)] on soil properties and growth and yield of cowpea (Vigna unquiculata) in 2000 and 2001 cropping seasons, in Akwa Ibom State, Southeastern Nigeria. The study was a three-factor factorial in randomize complete block (RCB). The soil in 2000 and 2001 was strongly acidic. Organic C increased by about 83.6% at harvest in 2000 and declined by 16.4% in 2001. Available P declined by about 15.9% in 2000 and 59.6% in 2001. Base saturation increased by 9.6% in 2000 and decreased by 6.8% in 2001. Tillage and mulching practices improved water-stable aggregates >2mm by 16.6% in 2001. Bulk density was similar between MT and NT in 2000, but significantly lower (

“We Used to go Asking for the Rains”: Local Interpretations of Environmental Changes and Implications for Natural Resource Management in Hwange District, Zimbabwe

In Hwange District, Zimbabwe, people living in the vicinity of the largest protected area of the country are facing rapid climate and environmental changes. Adopting an ethnoecological perspective, we sought to understand the way changes are understood locally in an area where people have interacted with their environment for centuries. In this chapter, we examine local people’s knowledge, expertise, and interpretative diagnoses about the environmental and climate changes they perceive around them. Qualitative fieldwork, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and structured free-listing interviews, was carried out over a three-month period in the communal lands of the district. Among changes related to wildlife interactions and landscape transformations, people mainly mobilize knowledge of trees and birds to predict rainfall and explain climate variability (related to seasons, precipitation, and temperatures). The most important findings of this research lie in people’s descriptions of ecological changes and their interpretations and explanations for these changes, which focus on arguments that are cultural (abandonment of ritual practices, access to ancestral sites), demographic (population growth), and political (wildlife management). For example, the disturbances in precipitation patterns are understood as a manifestation of the anger of ancestral spirits. We argue that these interpretive frameworks reflect the strong marginalization of the communities of the district from the national program of community-based natural resource management, CAMPFIRE, and that these discourses allow silenced voices to express themselves about sociopolitical concerns in an authoritarian context

Observations of climate change among subsistence-oriented communities around the world

The study of climate change has been based strongly on data collected from instruments, but how local people perceive such changes remains poorly quantified. We conducted a meta-analysis of climatic changes observed by subsistence-oriented communities. Our review of 10,660 observations from 2,230 localities in 137 countries shows that increases in temperature and changes in seasonality and rainfall patterns are widespread (≈70% of localities across 122 countries). Observations of increased temperature show patterns consistent with simulated trends in surface air temperature taken from the ensemble average of CMIP5 models, for the period 1955-2005. Secondary impacts of climatic changes on both wild and domesticated plants and animals are extensive and threaten the food security of subsistence-oriented communities. Collectively, our results suggest that climate change is having profound disruptive effects at local levels and that local observations can make an important contribution to understanding the pervasiveness of climate change on ecosystems and societies