Visual Impairment and Blindness in 5 Communities in IMO State, South East Nigeria

Background: The burden of avoidable blindness in Nigeria and in Sub-Saharan Africa is huge. The socioeconomic implications in the face of the present economic crisis cannot be overlooked. Recent estimates in Sub-Saharan Africa showed that 21.4 million people are visually impaired with 4.8 million of these blind. Approximately 80% of these are preventable or curable through the delivery of cost-effective eye care services. Aim: This study aims to determine the burden of visual impairment and blindness in Imo State with a view to make recommendations to the Ministry of Health for effective intervention and distribution of the available resources using the vision 2020 targets. Subjects and Method: This was a retrospective review of data generated during the free eye screening organized in 5 communities in Imo State, Nigeria by Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. Results: Two hundred and fifty respondents with a male to female ratio of 1: 1.36 participated in the free eye screening outreach. The 41-60 years age group was highly represented at 42.8% (107/250). Approximately 39% (98/250) were visually impaired and 6.4% (16/250) were blind. In descending order, the 3 most common causes of visual impairment and blindness were cataract, glaucoma and uncorrected refractive error. Living in the rural area was significantly associated with higher degrees of visual impairment and blindness.Conclusion: The prevalence of visual impairment and blindness in Imo State is significant and the most common causes are avoidable and treatable. The Health authorities in collaboration with Eye Care personnel have a lot to do to eliminate avoidable blindness.Keywords: Visual impairment, Blindness, Burden, Outreach, Vision 202

Conference summary report of the 10th Annual General and Scientific Meeting of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal medicine (NISONM) held in Ibadan, Nigeria on 4th -7th July, 2017

The 10th Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) of the Nigerian Society of Neonatal Medicine (NISONM) took place in Ibadan, South -West Nigeria. The theme of the conference was: Imperatives in neonatal survival initiatives in Nigeria: The current state. The conference addressed a variety of topics relevant to newborn health from eminent speakers from across the globe. The four-day conference included preconference workshops and community mobilization/ health outreach in Lagelu local government area

Apparent absence of Giardia infections among children under 5-years of age with acute watery diarrhoea in Abakaliki, Nigeria

Although the impact of diarrhoeal disease on paediatric health in Nigeria has decreased in recent years, it remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children under 5 years. Rotavirus is recognised as an important aetiological agent, but information on the contribution of intestinal protozoa to watery diarrhoea in this age group in Nigeria is scarce. In this cross-sectional study, faecal samples from children admitted to healthcare centres in Abakaliki, Nigeria with acute watery diarrhoea (N = 199) and faecal samples from age-matched controls (N = 37) were examined for Cryptosporidium and Giardia using immunofluorescent antibody testing and molecular methods. Cryptosporidium was identified in 13 case samples (6.5%) and no control samples. For three samples, molecular characterisation indicated C. hominis, GP60 subtypes IaA30R3, IaA14R3 and IdA11. Giardia was not detected in any samples. This contrast in prevalence between the two intestinal protozoa may reflect their variable epidemiologies and probably differing routes of infection. Given that these two parasitic infections are often bracketed together, it is key to realise that they not only have differing clinical spectra but also that the importance of each parasite is not the same in different age groups and/or settings.publishedVersio

Natal teeth associated with ingestion of herbal medication in pregnancy: A case report

Significant alteration in timing of tooth eruption with the first teeth being present at birth or erupting during the first month of life is a rare occurrence in humans. Timing of tooth eruption may be affected by hereditary, endocrine and environmental factors. The presence of natal teeth may lead to complications such as discomfort during suckling, laceration of the mother’s breasts, sublingual ulceration with resultant feed refusal, and aspiration of the teeth making tooth extraction a management option in affected infants. This is to report a rare finding of eight markedly enlarged natal teeth in a post term male. His mother ingested different kinds of herbal medications prior to conception and during pregnancy. The report is aimed at raising questions about the possibility of a causal relationship between antenatal ingestion of herbal medications and occurrence of natal teeth

Marked variability in institutional deliveries and neonatal outcomes during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the interventions to mitigate its spread impacted access to healthcare, including hospital births and newborn care. This study evaluated the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on newborn service utilization in Nigeria. Methods The records of women who delivered in hospitals and babies admitted to neonatal wards were retrospectively reviewed before (March 2019–February 2020) and during (March 2020–February 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in selected facilities in Nigeria. Results There was a nationwide reduction in institutional deliveries during the COVID-19 lockdown period in Nigeria, with 14 444 before and 11 723 during the lockdown—a decrease of 18.8%. The number of preterm admissions decreased during the lockdown period (30.6% during lockdown vs 32.6% pre-lockdown), but the percentage of outborn preterm admissions remained unchanged. Newborn admissions varied between zones with no consistent pattern. Although neonatal jaundice and prematurity remained the most common reasons for admission, severe perinatal asphyxia increased by nearly 50%. Neonatal mortality was significantly higher during the COVID-19 lockdown compared with pre-lockdown (110.6/1000 [11.1%] vs 91.4/1000 [9.1%], respectively; p=0.01). The odds of a newborn dying were about four times higher if delivered outside the facility during the lockdown (p<0.001). Conclusions The COVID-19 lockdown had markedly deleterious effects on healthcare seeking for deliveries and neonatal care that varied between zones with no consistent pattern

Early onset of neurological features differentiates two outbreaks of Lassa fever in Ebonyi state, Nigeria during 2017-2018.

Lassa fever (LF) is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness with various non-specific clinical manifestations. Neurological symptoms are rare at the early stage of the disease, but may be seen in late stages, in severely ill patients.The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological evolution, socio-demographic profiles, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients seen during two Lassa fever outbreaks in Ebonyi State, between December 2017 and December 2018. Routinely collected clinical data from all patients admitted to the Virology Centre of the hospital during the period were analysed retrospectively. Out of a total of 83 cases, 70(84.3%) were RT-PCR confirmed while 13 (15.7%) were probable cases. Sixty-nine (83.1%) patients were seen in outbreak 1 of whom 53.6% were urban residents, while 19%, 15%, and 10% were farmers, students and health workers respectively. There were 14 (16.8%) patients, seen in second outbreak with 92.9% rural residents. There were differences in clinical symptoms, signs and laboratory findings between the two outbreaks. The case fatality rates were 29.9% in outbreak 1 and 85.7% for outbreak 2. Neurological features and abnormal laboratory test results were associated with higher mortality rate, seen in outbreak 2. This study revealed significant differences between the two outbreaks. Of particular concern was the higher case fatality during the outbreak 2 which may be from a more virulent strain of the Lassa virus. This has important public health implications and further molecular studies are needed to better define its characteristics