Prevalence of Intestinal Amoebiasis in School Age Children in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract Amoebiasis has a worldwide distribution. I

Non-Salmonella Bacteremia Among Seropositive Hiv Patients Attending Three Tertiary Hospital In Nasarawa State, Nigeria.

Background: Bacterial blood stream infections constitute a significant public-health problem and it is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in HIV infected patients. Little is known in developing countries regarding salmonella bacteraemia among HIV patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the bacterial pathogens causing blood stream infection among febrile adults attending three medical centers in Nasarawa State. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study involving 346 consecutive, febrile adult patients admitted at three medical centers in Nasarawa State, was conducted. Demographic and other data were collected using standardized questionnaires. Blood culture was done followed by susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method. HIV testing was also performed as per Nigeria national algorithm and total white blood cell counts and CD4+ counts determined. Results: Of 346 febrile adult patients 33 (9.5%) had blood stream infections. The common isolates were Salmonella spp 13(39.4%), Escherichia coIi 8 (24.2%), Streptococcus pneumonia 5(15.2%), Staphylococcus aureus 4(12.1%), Citrobacter spp 1(3%), Streptococcus pyogenes 1(3%) and Kiebsiella pneumonia 1(3%). A total of 156 (45.1%) patients were HIV infected; of whom 12/1 56 (7.6%) were infected by non-typhoid Salmonella spp compared to 1/190 (0.5%) of non-HIV infected patients (RRR 11.2, p=0.029) infected with Salmonella typhi. HIV infected patients with bacteremia had significantly lower CD4+ count than those without bacteremia (median 28 vs. 88 cells/mI, p=0.01). Patients with salmonella bacteremia had significantly lower median of WBC than those with non-salmonella as well as those without bacteremia (median, 3.6 vs. 17.5 vs. 9.8x109, p0.0001). All Salmonella spp were sensitive to ceftriaxone and imipenem, while being 84%, 69.2%, 38% and 8% resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, sulphamethaxazole/trimethoprim and ciprofloxacin respectively. Predictors of mortality were HIV infection (OR 2.3, p=0.005), Glasgow coma score of less than 15 (OR 3.4, p=0.0001) and night sweats (OR 2.4, p=0.014). Conclusion: Non-typhoid Salmonella spp that are highly resistant to common antibiotics are predominant cause of bacterial blood stream infection among HIV patients attending Three tertiary medical centers in Nasarawa State. Continuous surveillance and intervention strategies should be put in place to monitor and manage cases of bloodstream infections in HIV-positive patients in  Nasarawa state.

Perception of people living with HIV/Aids in Nasarawa State-Nigeria on artemisia as an immune booster

This study is on perception of people living with HIV/AIDS in Nasarawa State-Nigeria on Artemisia as a remedy for boosting of immune system. The objective was to find out whether Artemisia tea/recipe is being used as one of the elements of ART combination therapy for immune boosting by the respondents. A sample of 80 PLWHA was drawn from a total population of 838 members from Nasarawa State Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NASNET) using a stratified random sampling technique. In-depth interviews, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and structured questionnaire were used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using contents analysis as well as quantitative statistical methods such as standard deviation to triangulate the finding. The result revealed that, Artemisia recipe is being used as a salient immune booster apart from its common use as effective recipe for malaria treatment and other feverish conditions. The discussants also revealed that taking Artemisia tea along side ART has improved the CD4 count of PLWHA on re-examination in the hospital better than when taking ART alone. The paper recommends that the federal and state governments should encourage further researches on the use of Artemisia to validate this claim.Keywords: Perception PLWHA, Artemisia recipe, antiretroviral therapy, alternative measure, and boosting immune syste