Gender Differences in Perceived Sources of Stress: A Cross Sectional Survey of Public Secondary School Teachers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Individuals, especially teachers, who work in serving professions involving interaction with other people, may be more liable to suffer psychological discomfort as a result of stress. However, the level of stress suffered may be dependent on the sources that generate the stress. The study, therefore, was conducted to determine the perceived sources of stress among male and female public secondary school teachers in Ebonyi state. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study was 4,360. A sample size of 436 (male 220, female 216) teachers participated in the study. This sample size was arrived following the suggestions of Nwana (2014) that if the population of a study is in a few thousands, 10% could be used. A self-developed questionnaire titled: Sources of Stress Questionnaire (SSQ) was used as instrument for data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validation by five experts in the field of Health Education and Psychology. The reliability of the instrument was computed using Cronbach alpha procedure which yielded a coefficient of 0.81. Data collected for the study were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. Independent samples t-test was used to test the hypothesis at an alpha level of 0.05. The results revealed that the public secondary school teachers in Ebonyi state studied had a high level stress which was perceived to have been generated by administrative-related, workload-related, environmental-related and economic-related sources. It was recommended that government should improve the working condition of the teachers in order to scale down their stress levels. Keywords: Gender, Stress, Secondary School teachers, Public DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-15-13 Publication date:May 31st 202

HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitude towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA): a cross-sectional study of primary school teachers

Background: Teachers are in advantage position to propagate correct information with regard to HIV/AIDS thereby influencing attitude towards PLWHA. With correct information stigmatization leading to spread of the scourge might be prevented. Aims & Objectives: The study was conducted to determine knowledge and attitude of primary school teachers towards PLWHA. Methods & Materials: The cross-sectional survey was used to study a sample of 400 primary school teachers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. The instrument used for data collection was researchers\u2019 designed questionnaire. Out of 400 copies of questionnaire administered; 394 representing 98.5% return rate, were used for analysis of data. Results: Results showed respondents had moderate (57.4%) knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS and positive attitude (3.09 \ub1 0.98) to PLWHA. Female teachers\u2019 dispositions to PLWHA were better than the males based on their attitude scores and the difference was not significant in general knowledge of HIV/AIDS and attitude to PLWHA. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for a universal health education programme, focusing on HIV/AIDS education, in education institutions that train teachers in Nigeria so as to possibly mitigate the discrepancy in knowledge regarding curability of AIDS and any undesirable attitude towards PLWHA that may arise among teachers

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Belief towards caesarean section: A community based study of male partners in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Introduction: Caesarean section is a surgical procedure used in delivering a baby by incising the abdomen and uterus of the mother. In a typical Nigerian culture, it is seen as a method to deliver a baby when the mother is not strong. Based on this premise, most men show a very negative attitude towards the procedure. This negative attitude may translate to a belief which might not be wholesome. Objectives: To assess the belief of male partners towards caesarean section. Methods: A sample of 400 male partners was investigated. The instrument used for data collection was a 22-item valid and reliable (α = 0.98) questionnaire developed by the researchers. The questionnaire was administered to the participants on face-to-face approach. Data were analysed using percentages, mean, standard deviation, analysis of variance, t -test and multiple regression analysis. Results: Results data showed that the male partners studied had negative beliefs towards caesarean section. Significant differences existed in the belief of the respondents towards caesarean section as it relates to their age, level of education, occupation, religion and location of residence ( p  < 0.05). Using a stepwise multiple regression model, all the socio-demographic variables studied played out to be significant ( p  < 0.05) predictors of belief towards the subject matter. Conclusion: The male partners have negative belief towards caesarean section and the personal characteristics of the subjects predicted their belief towards the subject matter. The existing phenomenon can be changed through health campaigns and education using healthcare workers and health educators