Evaluation of Improved Bioremediation Strategy for the Treatment of Abattoir Wastewater using Bacillus licheniformis ZUL012

The abattoir generates a large volume and variety of biowastes, posing a high risk of environmental contamination, disease outbreaks, and contaminated food. The purpose of this research was to characterize and remediate abattoir wastewater (Aww). The physicochemical characterization of the Aww revealed high level of pollution which served as a baseline for monitoring treatment efficacy. The B. licheniformis ZUL012 isolated from textile wastewater was primed with H2O2 and used to remediate Aww waste water in the current study. This study revealed Aww high pollution level which necessitated a need for the Treatment with this bacterium resulted in a significant decrease in some of the waste water parameters tested. The induced cell reduced the parameters to 155 41 mg/L, 75 mg/L, 454 mg/L, 1750 mg/L, and 1000 mg/L, whereas the naive cell reduced them to 375 mg/L, 776 mg/L, and 3122 mg/L, respectively. This equates to an average reduction of 95 percent (COD), 95 percent (BOD5), 77 percent (TOC), and 71% (TDS) compared to raw wastewater. These novel strategies show that H2O2-induced B. licheniformis ZUL012 could be a viable hybrid-bioremediation option for reducing or transforming the pollutants present in Aww, thereby contributing to compliance with wastewater discharge regulations into bodies of water

The Way forward for Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme in Funding Health Care among the Rural Communities of Sokoto State, Nigeria

Health  care financing in most of Sub-Saharan Africa is based on out-of-pocket payment from the rural dwellers.”This out-of-pocket payment has caused a lot of health troubles such as premature deaths, maternal problems, deficiencies in health issues in Sub Sahara countries. This report examines issues pertaining to health financing in Nigerian rural areas in order to encourage people in SSA to implement “Community-Based Health Insurance Scheme in the rural regions.” “It’s been significant because it offers a chance for the citizenry to be out of poverty as a result of high money paid whenever they are assessing health care through out-of-pocket payment at the point of service delivery. “This schema is a raw area of health financing in the developing countries supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank (WB) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) among others.” Few of the SSA countries like Ghana, Mali, and Burkina Faso are doing well using the scheme to finance health care delivery in the rural regions. “In Nigeria, this concept of community-based health insurance plan is a new development. Thus, an attempt should be attained to create consciousness about this commendable project.” The management of the CBHIS should focus on the rural dwellers on one hand, and government should provide enabling laws on the other. Keywords: Health Financing, Out-of-Pocket, Sokoto, Community-Based Health Insuranc

Anthelmintic efficacy of pawpaw (Carica papaya) seeds in commercial layers

The anthelmintic efficacy of the aqueous and crude extract of Carica papaya seeds was studied in 40 Isa Brown commercial layers infected naturally with nematodes. They were randomly divided into 4 groups: A, B, C and D with 10 birds per group. Group A birds were untreated, while groups B, C and D were treated orally with proprietary anthelmintic (piperazine 322 mg/kg body weight/day), powdery (300 mg/day/bird) and aqueous (1:10 ml water required/day) extracts of C. papaya, respectively. Two weeks after treatment, blood and faecal samples were collected to evaluate for hematological values and faecal egg counts respectively. The results of this study showed that the powdered and aqueous extract of C. papaya after its administration, produced a significant increase (P < 0.001) in packed cell volume, red blood cells, haemoglobin concentration, lymphocyte counts and significant decrease in eosinophil counts. The faecal egg counts also showed a remarkable and significant reduction in  the levels of the identified helminths. The reduction in faecal egg counts was more pronounced with the aqueous extract than crude extract administered. The effects of the C. papaya seed extracts in this study therefore showed that C. papaya extracts can serve as a source of chemical substance for use in the development of effective anthelmintic agents.Key words: Carica papaya, anthelmintic, piperazine, helminths, haematology

Postnatal care utilisation among women in rural Ghana: analysis of 2014 Ghana demographic and health survey

Background Maternal mortality is high in Ghana, averaging 310 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2017. This is partly due to inadequate postnatal care especially among rural communities. Ghana can avert the high maternal deaths if women meet the World Health Organisation’s recommended early postnatal care check-up. Despite the association between geographical location and postnatal care utilisation, no study has been done on determinants of postnatal care among rural residents in Ghana. Therefore, this study determined the prevalence and correlates of postnatal care utilization among women in rural Ghana. Methods The study utilised women’s file of the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). Following descriptive computation of the prevalence, binary logistic regression was fitted to assess correlates of postnatal care at 95% confidence interval. The results were presented in adjusted odds ratio (AOR). Any AOR less than 1 was interpreted as reduced likelihood of PNC attendance whilst AOR above 1 depicted otherwise. All analyses were done using Stata version 14.0. Results The study revealed that 74% of the rural women had postnatal care. At the inferential level, women residing in Savanna zone had higher odds of postnatal care compared to those in the Coastal zone [AOR = 1.80, CI = 1.023–3.159], just as among the Guan women as compared to the Akan [AOR = 7.15, CI = 1.602–31.935]. Women who were working were more probable to utilise postnatal care compared to those not working [AOR = 1.45, CI = 1.015–2.060]. Those who considered distance as unproblematic were more likely to utilise postnatal care compared to those who considered distance as problematic [AOR = 1.63, CI = 1.239–2.145]. Conclusions The study showed that ethnicity, ecological zone, occupation and distance to health facility predict postnatal care utilisation among rural residents of Ghana. The study points to the need for government to increase maternal healthcare facilities in rural settings in order to reduce the distance covered by women in seeking postnatal care

Contraceptive discontinuation among women of reproductive age in Papua New Guinea.

BACKGROUND: Papua New Guinea has one of the lowest contraceptive prevalence rates among women of reproductive age in the Western Pacific Region and this makes contraceptive discontinuation in this country a critical public health issue worth studying. This study sought to assess the factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation among women of reproductive age in Papua New Guinea. METHODS: The data used for the analysis were obtained from the Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey which was conducted in 2016-2018. The outcome variable for this study was contraceptive discontinuation among women of reproductive age. Crude odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using binary logistic regression. RESULTS: About 33.26% of the women discontinued injectables, 19.15% discontinued pills and 3.77% discontinued other contraception methods. Women aged 20-24 [aOR = 2.12, CI = [= [1.04,4.31] through to those aged 30-34 [aOR = 1.98, CI = 1.03,3.79] had higher odds to discontinue contraceptive usage compared to those aged 45-49. Women with no information on choice of contraception [aOR = 2.85, CI = 2.31,3.51], those with two or more births in the last five years [aOR = 2.35, CI = 1.65,3.35] and those living in the Highland region [aOR = 1.71, CI = 1.28,2.29] were more likely to discontinue contraceptive usage compared with those with information on contraceptive choices, those with no births and those living in the Island region respectively. However, women in the rural areas [aOR = 0.78, CI = 0.61,0.99], women using LARC [aOR = 0.10, CI = 0.06,0.15], injectables [aOR = 0.43, CI = 0.30,0.63] and other modern contraception methods including condom [aOR = 0.22, CI = 0.15,0.34] were less likely to discontinue contraceptive usage. CONCLUSION: A nationwide mass education on the benefits of contraception is recommended for the Papua New Guinea National Department of Health to tackle the key findings of this study which were high contraceptive discontinuation prevalence with lack of information on choice, disproportionately high contraceptive discontinuation rate in the Highland Region and the desire to give birth to more than two children as some factors associated with contraceptive discontinuation in Papua New Guinea

Medicinal plants used to treat Snake bite by Fulani Herdsmen in Taraba State, Nigeria

Snake bite remains a public health hazard in tropical countries. Taraba State with a high Fulani population has one of the highest incidences in the country. The Fulani herdsmen are more at risk because of their agropastoralist lifestyle. Their village settlement positions make it more difficult for them to assess antiserum, the only source of treatment available for snake bite, Therefore the only option left for them is the use of village surrounding medicinal plants for the treatment of the snake bite. Recent efforts on ethnopharmacology revealed several of these medicinal plants with potential to treat snake bite. This work was designed to document medicinal plants used by Fulani herdsmen in Taraba State, Nigeria, for the treatment of snake bites. Information provided will enable further study on the efficacy of the medicinal plants so identified. Eight out of the total sixteen Local government areas (LGAs) of Taraba State, Nigeria were selected for the survey. Sixty four (64) herdsmen with good ethnomedical knowledge were interviewed. The results showed that 19 plants species belonging to 15 plant families were used as remedies for the treatment of snake bite by 42.20% of the Fulani herdsmen interviewed. Annona senegalensis was the most frequently used plant. The proposed mechanisms of action of these plants with regards to venom enzymes inhibition or neutralization were discussed. Further studies on the efficacy and toxicity of these plants are suggested

Proximate composition and the mineral contents of soya beans (Glycine max) available in Kano State, Nigeria

Soya bean is an important source of high-quality protein and oil, as well as other nutritious substances. The higher the content of these nutritious substances in a given soya bean, the higher it’s quality. The mineral and proximate contents of the variety of soya beans available in Kano state, Nigeria, were determined using standard procedures. The percentage (%) proximate composition was found to be Moisture 8.13%, Crude Protein 39.24%, Crude Fibre 6.84%, Crude Lipid 30.31%, Ash 4.61%, and Carbohydrate 5.08%. While the average mineral contents (%) were found to be 0.003 (Na), 0.216 (K), 0.281 (Mg), 0.324 (Ca), 0.722 (P), 0.003 (Zn), 0.002 (Cu), 0.291 (Mn) and 0.018 (Fe). The result is an indication of the nutritional importance of soya beans, and thus its production and quality require to be improved.Keywords: Mineral content, Nutritional value, Proximate composition, Soya bean

Modeling the role of public health intervention measures in halting the transmission of monkeypox virus

Monkeypox (mpox), a zoonotic viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus (mpoxv), is endemic in many countries in West Africa and is sometimes exported to other parts of the world. The recent outbreak of mpoxv in humans, in endemic and non-endemic countries, has created substantial public health concern worldwide. This research uses a mechanistic model to study the transmission dynamics of mpoxv epidemics in the USA. Our model describes the interaction between different categories of individuals represent various infection phases and hospitalization processes. The model also takes into account the extent of compliance with non-pharmaceutical intervention strategies (NPIs), such as using condoms during sexual contact, quarantine and avoiding large gatherings. The model's equilibria are analyzed, and results on asymptotic stability are obtained. Moreover, the basic reproductive number and other threshold quantities are used to establish the conditions for a forward or backward bifurcation. Our model accurately captures the incidence curves from mpox surveillance data for the USA, indicating that it can be used to explain mpoxv transmission and suggest some effective ways to enhance control efforts. In addition, numerical simulations are carried out to examine the influence of some parameters on the overall dynamics of the model. A partial rank correlation coefficient is adopted for the sensitivity analysis to determine the model most important parameters, which require close attention for effective mpoxv prevention and control. We conclude that it is especially important to ensure that NPIs are properly followed to mitigate mpoxv outbreaks effectively

Local Rice Production Trend Analyses and Consumption in Benue State, Nigeria: 1980 – 2016

The research examined local rice production trends and factors inhibiting the consumption of local rice from 1980 to 2016 in Benue State. Primary data were collected with the aid of questionnaire in Benue State, while secondary data were obtained from Benue Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (BNARDA) in 2017. Multistage random sampling method was employed in selecting respondents. Primary data were collected from one hundred and fifty six (156) respondents. Descriptive statistics, Z – test, Growth model and Kendal’s coefficient of concordance were used for the analysis. The results revealed that from 1980 to 2016, a total of 9.5mt of local rice was produced in Benue State. The result also shows that the respondents were all married (99%), with household size of 1 - 10 persons (95%) and mean household size of about 8 persons. The result further indicated that majority of respondents’ attained tertiary school level. The result also shows that the respondents had low income (40.3%).  The mean quantity of local rice production was 257,333.06mt per year. The instantaneous growth trends of local rice production and price were 0.00122 and 0.01103, and compound growth rate as 3.72 and 3.76 respectively. The result also indicated that many of the respondents were above the age of 41 years (49%) with the mean age of 47 and all respondents male. The presence of stones, poor aroma, impure rice and broken grain were some of the factors inhibiting consumption of local rice in Benue State. The study recommended that the policies that focus on increasing growth rate of local rice in Benue State should be intensified. Breeders and Scientists should make effort in breeding rice with aroma. The processors of local rice should use modern processing mills like rice polisher and des-stoners to mill quality local rice that will be acceptable to consumers