Assessment of the Quality of Borehole Water Sample in Federal Housing Estate and Sites and Services Areas of Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Assessment of the quality of borehole water samples from Federal Housing Estate and Sites and Services areas of Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria was conducted to determine the suitability of these borehole water samples. Six samples of borehole water gotten from six different families living in these areas were analyzed for microbial, chemical and physicochemical parametersusing standard analytical method of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). The result of microbial analysis revealed that all the water samples (samples D, E, F, G, H, and M) had total coliform count of 64.0cfu/100ml, 5.0cfu/100ml, 41.0cfu/100ml, 16.0cfu/100ml, 124.0cfu/100ml and 0.0cfu/100ml respectively. This showed that sample D, F, G, and H exceeded the standard of 10 coliform counts/100ml. The entire samples resulted at 0 counts for Escherichia coli. Samples D, F, G and M tested negative for pseudomonas test, whereas samples E and H did not. The chemical analysis showed that all the samples did not meet up with the recommended standard of pH (6.5-8.5).However, there was significant difference (p<0.5) between samples D and E. samples F and J were significantly the same, also as samples G and M. Sample M was the least significant while sample D was the most significant at pH 4.6 and 6.4 respectively. The temperatures were all significantly the same and did not exceed standard limit of 370C. The total dissolved solid also did not exceed the limit of 500ppm and the conductivity limit was not exceeded. All the samples did not exceed limits for zinc, copper, lead, magnesium, cadmium and iron which are 3mg/l, 1mg/l, 0.01mg/l, 0.02mg/l, 0.03mg/l and 0.3mg/l  respectively except for calcium, where samples D, E, G and H were beyond standard of 0.4mg/l. All the samples were significantly different for each parameter except for lead of which the entire sample were all the same. The depth of the borehole in relation to the distance of septic tank, distance of neighbor’s septic tank and distance of refuse dump as obtained from these families revealed that sample M had the highest distance and was the least contaminated, whereas sample H had the closest distance and the greatest microbial contamination. The depth of Sample G borehole was according to the regulatory standard of 150 ft., and from the analysis the entire parameters were within standard except for pH. Keywords: Water, Standards, Microbial analysis, Total Dissolved Solid, Metals, Septic tan

Birth preparedness and complication readiness among the women beneficiaries of selected rural primary health centers of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India.

INTRODUCTION: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) is a strategy to promote timely use of skilled maternal and neonatal care during childbirth. According to World Health Organization, BPCR should be a key component of focused antenatal care. Dakshina Kannada, a coastal district of Karnataka state, is categorized as a high-performing district (institutional delivery rate >25%) under the National Rural Health Mission. However, a substantial proportion of women in the district experience complications during pregnancy (58.3%), childbirth (45.7%), and postnatal (17.4%) period. There is a paucity of data on BPCR practice and the factors associated with it in the district. Exploring this would be of great use in the evidence-based fine-tuning of ongoing maternal and child health interventions. OBJECTIVE: To assess BPCR practice and the factors associated with it among the beneficiaries of two rural Primary Health Centers (PHCs) of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 217 pregnant (>28 weeks of gestation) and recently delivered (in the last 6 months) women in two randomly selected PHCs from June -September 2013. Exit interviews were conducted using a pre-designed semi-structured interview schedule. Information regarding socio-demographic profile, obstetric variables, and knowledge of key danger signs was collected. BPCR included information on five key components: identified the place of delivery, saved money to pay for expenses, mode of transport identified, identified a birth companion, and arranged a blood donor if the need arises. In this study, a woman who recalled at least two key danger signs in each of the three phases, i.e., pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum (total six) was considered as knowledgeable on key danger signs. Optimal BPCR practice was defined as following at least three out of five key components of BPCR. OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion, Odds ratio, and adjusted Odds ratio (adj OR) for optimal BPCR practice. RESULTS: A total of 184 women completed the exit interview (mean age: 26.9±3.9 years). Optimal BPCR practice was observed in 79.3% (95% CI: 73.5-85.2%) of the women. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that age >26 years (adj OR = 2.97; 95%CI: 1.15-7.7), economic status of above poverty line (adj OR = 4.3; 95%CI: 1.12-16.5), awareness of minimum two key danger signs in each of the three phases, i.e., pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum (adj OR = 3.98; 95%CI: 1.4-11.1), preference to private health sector for antenatal care/delivery (adj OR = 2.9; 95%CI: 1.1-8.01), and woman's discussion about the BPCR with her family members (adj OR = 3.4; 95%CI: 1.1-10.4) as the significant factors associated with optimal BPCR practice. CONCLUSION: In this study population, BPCR practice was better than other studies reported from India. Healthcare workers at the grassroots should be encouraged to involve women's family members while explaining BPCR and key danger signs with a special emphasis on young (<26 years) and economically poor women. Ensuring a reinforcing discussion between woman and her family members may further enhance the BPCR practice

Is Swaziland census data suitable for fertility measurement?

Abstract This study seeks to assess fertility data in Swaziland based on the 1976, 1986, 1997 and 2007 censuses. By utilising single-year age-sex published raw data, demographic evaluation tools—sex ratio, age ratio, Whipple’s index, and modified Whipple’s index—were used to assess age misreporting as several fertility measures rely on the quality of age data. In addition, using published descriptive census tables for women in the reproductive lifespan, 15–49, data on children ever born or parity (P) derived were evaluated for incorrect reporting of parities using the el-Badry technique. Further, the relational Gompertz model was applied to adjust data on reported aggregated births in the last year or current fertility (F) relying on its intrinsic P/F ratios feature as an adjustment and diagnostic tool for consistency checks on fertility and parity distributions. The evidence of some age reporting distortions or age misreporting is not too severe, but moderate, and therefore fertility estimates in the four censuses of Swaziland cannot be said are invalidated. The data on parity and current fertility conforms to expected or typical patterns of fertility distributions of African populations. The study concludes that the census data were of reasonable quality for fertility estimation

GENITAL Chlamydia AND HIV CO-INFECTION: ADVERSE PREGNANCY OUTCOMES

Abstract In the remote and poor-resource areas of Nigeria, there is paucity of data on the prevalence of HIV, genital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections and their squeal among women of reproductive age. The cohort study of 303 female volunteers was done by investigation of thei