Behavioural Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic among Nigerians: A Nationwide Survey

Background: COVID-19 being a new disease has been fraught with poor public social responses. This survey described the behavioural responses to  COVID-19 from individuals in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society like Nigeria. Methods: The study used a web-based descriptive cross-sectional design to recruit Nigerian adults, 18 years and above from all the geopolitical  zones in the country, by snowball sampling technique. A 6-page Google form survey tool was used to administer the questionnaire via emails,  WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics with percentage frequency distribution. Results: A total of 1841 respondents (45.8% females) were finally analyzed. The age range was 18-84years with mean of 31±11years. Overall, 1079  (58.6%) expressed at least one element of fear of disclosing their COVID-19 status. There were 1047 (56.7%) respondents who expressed worry  about being discriminated against if they get COVD-19 and 1087 (59.1%) agreed that family members of COVID-19 patients may be rejected by the  community. Majority 1749 (95%) stated willingness to present to the healthcare facility, though 932 (50.6%) stated they will not be attended to if  suspected to have COVID-19. Of the respondents, 794 (43.1%) indicated that COVID-19 was caused by the Chinese and 1202 (65.3%) indicated that  healthcare workers should be kept in a hotel separate from the rest of the community. Majority 1679 (91.2%) however, disagreed that COVID- 19 was  a death sentence. Conclusion: The study revealed that there were elements of fear of disclosure, with discrimination and stigmatization being the major causes of  concern

Predictors of pediatric HIV disclosure among caregivers of HIV positive children attending special treatment clinic in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria

Background: HIV‑infected children now live longer due to the availability of HIV counseling, testing, and treatment with highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). Efforts to help these children to know about the HIV infection and their status are important steps toward long‑term disease management. This study was conducted to determine the factors associated with pediatric HIV disclosure among caregivers of children attending Special Treatment Clinic at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia. Methods: This was a descriptivecross‑sectional study conducted among 160 caregivers of children attending the Special Treatment Clinic (STC) at DASH, Lafia, selected by systematic random sampling technique. Interviewer administered structured questionnaire was used to collect data, while bivariate and multivariate analyses were done with the Epi Info version 7. Results: Pediatric HIV disclosure rate in this study was 33.8%. The mean age at pediatric HIV disclosure was 9.85 ± 1.86 years. The independent predictors for pediatric HIV disclosure following logistic regression were child’s age, 10–14 years (AOR = 4.46; 95%CI 1.47–13.61), child knowledge of caregivers’ HIV status (AOR = 51.18; 95%CI 13.40–195.66), and caregivers’ age ≥40 years (AOR = 3.58; 95%CI 1.25–11.74). Conclusions: The pediatric HIV disclosure was low in this study due to the caregivers’ and their wards’ factors. Health care workers need to intensify health education on the benefit of pediatric HIV disclosure at the STC clinic.&nbsp