Community awareness of bird flu and the practice of backyard poultry in a North-Central State of Nigeria

Introduction. The practice of backyard poultry is a very common practice in many homes in Nigeria. Birds raised at home are usually free ranged, which increases close contact between man and birds, thus increasing the risk of transmission of avian influenza virus to man. This study investigated the awareness of bird flu infection and identifies risk factors associated with the practice of backyard/free ranged poultry among the residents of a state in Northern Nigeria. Methods. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Kwara State using 130 wards selected through cluster sampling technique. Households in each ward were sampled through systematic random sampling technique using the primary health care house numbering register. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate relevant information through interview and 650 participants consented and were used for the study. Results. Most of the respondents 604 (92.9%) kept birds in their homes and one-third 204 (33.8%) of this group knew that infection from birds can be transmitted to man. However, less than a third186 (30.8%) of those who keep birds were aware of avian influenza (AI) infection. Out of the 186 respondents, 78 (41.9%) had experienced massive bird deaths in the preceding year prior to the interview. Less than half 81 (43.5%) were willing to report AI or massive deaths occurring in flocks of their birds to designated officers / authority. During outbreaks with massive deaths in birds some of the respondents sold infected live birds 45 (57.7%), few slaughtered and dressed the birds before sale 11 (14.1%), while some slaughtered and consumed the birds in their families 19 (24.4%). Conclusion. The practice of backyard poultry is very high with little knowledge and awareness of mechanism and risk of infection associated with it. This was also reflected in their attitude towards reporting of outbreaks in birds. Public awareness campaign and home visit by environmental and veterinary officers are important strategies that can prevent AI infection transmission among domestic birds and man

Community survey on blood donation practices in a northern state of Nigeria

Introduction. Volunteer blood donors account for less than half of the blood supply in developing countries; and few countries have mobilized efforts to encourage voluntary blood donation (VBD). The objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and blood donation practices among adults in a state in Northern Nigeria. Methods. Descriptive cross sectional study using multistage sampling technique was carried out among 936 respondents. Semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to generate relevant data and information from the respondents. Data entry and analysis was done using EPI-info software package. Results. The knowledge of the respondents on blood donation was low. Less than half 432 (46.2%) knew some indications for blood transfusion. Two hundred and twelve (22.6%) respondents had donated blood in the past but only 1% of these were VBD while 95% were donations based on blood needs by family members, relations and friends. Few respondents 112 (12%) had received blood transfusion in the past, and the main source of blood transfused was paid commercial donors 50 (44.6%). The fear of HIV screening was a major hindrance and limitation to voluntary blood donation among respondents. Conclusion. The gaps in knowledge and practice of VBD can be addressed through public awareness campaigns, and motivational programmes such as free medical services for voluntary blood donors

Prevalence and risk factors of cervical cancer among women in an urban community of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Background. Cervical cancer is the second most common malig- nancy in women worldwide with a high incidence in under-devel- oped countries and Nigeria is one of these countries. This study aimed at screening for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear and to identify risk factors for cervical cancer among women in Olufadi community, Kwara state, North-central Nigeria. Methods. This was a cross-sectional study involving the screening of women aged 25-64 years for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear. Respondents were selected through systematic random sam- pling of households. Interviewer- administered questionnaire and clinical report form were also used to collect data. In addition, Pap smear samples were taken. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15. Results. Only 10 (5.0%) respondents had positive cytology result, while the rest were normal. Of the 10 positive cytology results, 1(10.0%) was high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) while the remaining 9(90.0%) were low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) which corresponds to 0.5% and 4.5% of the total respondents respectively. Risk fac- tors for cervical cancer identified included coitarche, tobacco smoking, number of sexual partners and family history of cervi- cal cancer. Conclusion. The findings from this study attest to the increasing burden of cervical cancer. The high number of positive results obtained from the study coupled with the presence of risk factors was an indication of how useful regular screening will be in the early detection of cervical cancer

Racial disparities in treatment patterns and clinical outcomes in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer

Data characterizing demographics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes in black patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) are limited. registHER is a large, observational cohort study of patients (n = 1,001) with HER2-positive MBC diagnosed ≤6 months of enrollment and followed until death, disenrollment, or June 2009 (median follow-up of 27 months). Demographics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes were described for black (n = 126) and white patients (n = 793). Progression-free survival (PFS) following first-line therapy and overall survival (OS) were examined. Multivariate analyses adjusted for baseline and treatment factors. Black patients were more likely than white patients to be obese (body mass index ≥30), to have diabetes, and to have a history of cardiovascular disease; they were also less likely to have estrogen receptor or progesterone receptor positive disease. In patients treated with trastuzumab, the incidence of cardiac safety events (grade ≥3) was higher in black patients (10.9 %) than in white patients (7.9 %). Unadjusted median OS and PFS (months) were significantly lower in black patients than in white patients (OS: black: 27.1, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 21.3–32.1; white: 37.3, 95 % CI 34.6–41.1; PFS: black: 7.0, 95 % CI 5.7–8.2; white: 10.2, 95 % CI 9.3–11.2). The adjusted OS hazard ratio (HR) for black patients compared with white patients was 1.29 (95 % CI 1.00–1.65); adjusted PFS HR was 1.29 (95 % CI 1.05–1.59). This real-world evaluation of a large cohort of patients with HER2-positive MBC shows poorer prognostic factors and independently worse clinical outcomes in black versus white patients. Further research is needed to identify potential biologic differences that could have predictive impact for black patients or that could explain these differences

Utilization of hospital library by health workers in a tertiary health institution in Ilorin, Kwara State

The task of providing quality health care services require the use of current health information; and hospital library seems to be the most appropriate source of organized and well articulated information for health workers. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out between January and June 2003 to determine the use of hospital library by health workers at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital with a view to generating data that can be used to improve the services and make the library more user friendly to the health workers. Analysis of 280 questionnaires returned by consenting health workers selected through simple random sampling showed that 244(87%) of the respondents used the library, and a significant proportion of the Doctors were found to use the library facilities more than any group of health professionals (p valu

Intestinal helminthes infestation among pupils in rural and urban communities of Kwara State, Nigeria

No Abstract. African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology Vol. 7(3) 2006: 217-22