Knowledge, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil Ogi by caregivers in Makurdi, Nigeria

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the major public health challenges in many developing countries affecting mainly children under 5 years of age and contributes to severity of life-threatening infections such as diarrhoea and measles. Over the years, several effective strategies have been adopted to combat vitamin A deficiency with the attendant challenge of sustainability. Food-based approaches based on vitamin A-rich, locally available food sources are considered sustainable and could help in filling this gap. The use of red palm oil among other locally available pro-vitamin A foodstuffs is recommended for incorporation into complementary foods given to children under 5 years of age by health workers in Nigeria. This study was conducted to ascertain the level of awareness, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil ogi (a cereal-based porridge) by caregivers of under-fives within Makurdi, Nigeria. Data were obtained through a cross-sectional survey and two focus group discussions. The survey involved 100 respondents that were purposively sampled from three well patronized health facilities rendering post-natal services in Makurdi. The results of the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The focus group discussions involved 17 members in two separate groups and responses were sorted and summarized. The results show that though caregivers consider red palm oil as a taboo-free cooking ingredient, knowledge on its use in ogi was low (11%). However, some caregivers were willing to adopt red palm oil ogi provided the method of preparation is demonstrated and presents no adverse effects on the child. Ogi prepared with 5 and 10% red palm oil (w/v) scored 6.8 and 6.6 for maize, 5.9 and 6.0 for millet, respectively for overall acceptability on a 9-point Hedonic scale while ogi without red palm oil was the most acceptable. This study has identified low awareness in the use of red palm oil ogi among caregivers of under-fives in Makurdi; ignorance about red palm oil’s nutritional benefits and  appropriate preparation methods as well as actual concentration of red palm oil to be employed as some of the critical gaps in the use of red palm oil ogi in alleviating the burden of vitamin A deficiency among children under 5 years of age in Makurdi, Nigeria.Key words: Knowledge, Red palm oil, Og

High prevalence of HIV infection, increased tendency to malaria burden and development of AIDS at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Nigeria

No Abstract. Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 26, 2005: 7-1

Dimension of Fasciola gigantica recovered from cattle slaughtered in Maiduguri Abattoir, Borno state, Nigeria

No Abstract. The Nigerian Journal of Parasitology Vol. 22(1&2) 2001: 113-11

Proteinuria And Occurrence Of Onchocerca Volvulus Microfilariae In Skin, Urine And Blood Of Onchocerciasis Patients After Ivermectin Treatment In Adikpo, Benue State, Nigeria

Fifty adult patients in Adikpo, Benue State, Nigeria having an average of 50 microfilaria/skin snip (mflss) and 2 microfilaria/milliliter (mflml) in skin and urine respectively were given a single treatment of Ivermectin at a dose rate between 150 – 200mg/kg. Five of the patients also had microfilariae in their blood. Seven days after this treatment, there was a decrease of the microfilaria from pretreatment level to 17.8% and 10% in the skin and urine respectively (i.e.82% and 90% clearance). There was 100% clearance in the blood. Trace proteinuria shown in 30 (60%) patients before treatment was increased to 45 (90%) patients after treatment. This study has revealed that Ivermectin has a great efficacy in clearing microfilaria of Onchocerca volvulus in the skin, urine and blood of individuals. The increase in the number of patients with mild proteinuria after treatment and its implication require further investigation. It may not mean that the increase in protein content after treatment is due to Ivermectin. African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 9 (3) 2008: pp. 119-12

Malarial infection among HIV Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and those not on ART: A Case Study of Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Malarial infection among patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) attending Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State was investigated between April and August 2008 to determine the level of malaria infection in HIV/AIDS patients on ART and those not on ART with respect to CD4+ counts, age and gender. A total of 1,080 HIV patients were examined (800 on ART and 280 not on ART considered as control). Questionnaire was administered to each participant to collect socio-demographic data. The Cytoflow, and thin and thick blood films were used to count CD4+  and conduct parasitological examination, respectively. Of the 800 HIV/AIDS patients on ART examined for malaria parasites, 20.5% (164/800) were found positive for malaria infection, while those not on ART had an infection rate of 63.9% (179/280). There was an association between the severity of malarial infection between patients not on ART and those on ART (χ2 14.05, p = 0.001). The age groups < 22 years, 23-29 years and 44-50 years recorded high prevalences of malaria with 66.7% (14/21), 67.9% (36/53) and 73.7% (14/19), respectively. Malarial infection was higher in patients on ART with CD4+ count less than 200/μl and 201-500/μl with 21.1% (72/342) and 22.9% (64/279), respectively. Female patients on ART showed higher infection rate (23.1%) than their male counterparts (17.4%).Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy, malaria parasites, CD4+, parasitological examination and socio-demographic dataNigerian Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 33 [1] March 2012, pp. 59-6

Polyparasitism in tuberculosis patients and apparently healthy individuals in Benue State, Nigeria

Co-infection with intestinal parasites and tuberculosis infection is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality especially in resource poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa. A cross-sectional study in seven LGAs of Benue State was conducted to determine the prevalence of polyparasitism in tuberculosis patients and apparently healthy individuals. The TB patients were recruited from individuals already participating in the Directly Observed Short-course Treatment (DOTS) programme. These patients had varying degrees of tuberculosis severity and were categorized into scanty infection, light infection (1+), moderate infection (2+) and heavy infection (3+). Stool samples were examined using formal-ether concentration technique. A total of 661 tuberculosis patients were examined for intestinal parasites. 254 (38.4%) had at least one or more intestinal parasites. 153 (23.1%) of them harboured multiple parasites. However, of the 826 apparently healthy individuals, 333 (40.3%) were positive for at least one intestinal parasite. Out of these 333 positive individuals, 191 (23.1%) had multiple infections. Tarka Local Government Area had the highest prevalence (47%) of intestinal parasites which was significantly higher than Apa, the Local Government Area with the least prevalence of 17.7% parasitic infection, and this had no significant difference from the prevalence of multiple parasitism in the remaining six Local Government Areas sampled. On the whole; 1487 individuals were investigated, 557 (36.5%) had intestinal parasites and 364 (24.5%) had multiple parasitism. Eight different type of co-infections were encountered with the most frequent being hookworm and E. histolytica which was significantly higher than other types (p< 0.05) and was consistently higher in male tuberculosis patients. The occurrence of these co infections increased significantly (p< 0.05) with TB status of moderate (2+) to heavy infections (3+). The high prevalence of multiple intestinal parasites in tuberculosis patients poses a serious challenge to the current tuberculosis management strategy.Keywords: polyparasitism, tuberculosis, Benue State, Nigeri

Comparison of malaria p.f/Pan rapid diagnostic test device with field microscopy for the detection of Plasmodium species in Nigerian children

Malaria remains a serious public health and life threatening problem to children under five years in Nigeria despite the tremendous efforts made to control the disease in recent years. This study was conducted todetermine the prevalence of malarial infection, identify the species of Plasmodium and determine the performance of the Malaria P.f/Pan Rapid Diagnostic Test Device as compared to microscopy in screening clinical cases of malaria among children under five years in Gboko, Benue State, Nigeria. Malaria P.f/Pan Rapid Diagnostic Test Devices and staining technique were used to determine Plasmodia antigens and malaria parasites in blood respectively. The occurrence of malaria irrespective of the Plasmodia species was 20.4% among the children examined. There was a predominance of Plasmodium falciparum malaria 14.5% among the malaria cases diagnosed (x2 =8.93, p=0.002). No significant difference was observed between Malaria P.f / Pan RDTs (17.7%; 39/220) and microscopy (20.4%; 45/220) in screening malaria (x2 with Yates’ correction =178.5, p=0.57). The Malaria P.f/Pan RDT device recorded a sensitivity and specificity of 86.7%, CI (73.2%-94.9%) and 100%, CI (90.9%-100.0%) respectively when compared to microscopy the Gold Standard Technique. The study revealed that malaria is endemic with a predominance of P. falciparum among children under five years in Gboko, Nigeria. Both malaria P.f/Pan RDT devices and microscopy were comparable in screening malaria among the children. It is recommended that the use of Malaria P.f/Pan RDT devices should be encouraged in hospitals, though the combination of both methods will provide more accurate diagnosis.Keywords: malaria, RDT, children, Gboko, Nigeri

Prevalence of Toxocara canis ova in dog faeces and soil samples collected from public parks in Makurdi

There has been an unprecedented increase in the number of dogs roaming the streets of Makurdi, consequently, the rate of contamination of the environment by dog faeces has also increased with serious implication for visceral and cutaneous larva migrans. 185 faecal samples collected from dogs were examined for eggs of Toxocara cains, of which 68 (36.7%) were infected. The infection rate was significantly higher (p>0.05) in puppies than in young and adult dogs. Of the 200 soil samples collected from primary school compounds and other public parks 56(28%) were positive for Toxocara canis eggs. There was no significant difference (