Prevalence and predictors of Kaposi’s sarcoma among HIV patients receiving care at a tertiary hospital in Jos, Nigeria

# Background Kaposi’s sarcoma became prevalent with the appearance of human immune deficiency virus (HIV) in the 1980s. However, the widespread use of the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduced its prevalence in communities with good access to the antiretroviral drugs. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of Kaposi’s sarcoma among persons receiving HIV care at a tertiary hospital in Jos, Nigeria. # Methods The study used a cross-sectional study design, based on secondary data related to patients who had received HIV care between January 2004 and December 2017. Logistic regression was then used to determine the variables that were predictors of Kaposi’s sarcoma risk. # Results The prevalence of Kaposi’s sarcoma among the patients was 1.2% (95% confidence interval, CI=1.06-1.34). Patients whose baseline viral loads were higher than 10,000 copies/mm^3^ were three times more likely to develop Kaposi’s sarcoma than those with lesser viral load (OR: 3.13, CI: 2.19-4.47). Gender, duration of HAART and education had modifying effect on the Kaposi’s sarcoma risk. # Conclusions Kaposi’s sarcoma is a substantial public health problem among the HIV population in Jos. Universal access to HAART by the Federal Government of Nigeria and its partners is recommended to reduce its prevalence. In addition, education, skill acquisition and income generating programs should be targeted at girls and women by governments and other stakeholders in order to reduce the inequality that worsens their vulnerability to HIV infection and Kaposi’s sarcoma

Association of malaria and anaemia in under five children in a rural general hospital in northern Nigeria

Background: Anaemia is a major public health problem and contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality particularly in children under five. In endemic areas, malaria is a major contributor to its evolution. This study aimed to determine the association of malaria and anaemia in under five children presenting with fever.Methods: Records of under five children that presented with fever in Mani General Hospital for the period June 2012 to May 2013 were reviewed and relevant data extracted and analyzed.Results: There were 411 children aged 6- 59 months that presented with fever and had malaria parasite test and packed cell volume (PCV) done as part of their initial investigation. Median age was 24 months (range 6-54) and 33.3% of the children belonged to the 12 to 23 months age group. A great majority the children had anaemia (87.1%) and malaria parasitemia (88.1%). Severe anaemia (PCV<21%) was found in 26% of the children. There was a statistically significant relationship between anaemia and malaria parasitemia (p=0.01) but none with sex or age group of the children.Conclusion: This study has shown a high prevalence of anaemia among febrile children and brings to light the need for urgent interventions including the need for attending clinicians to always screen for anaemia when evaluating febrile children to ensure prompt identification and treatment.Key words: Anaemia, fever, malaria, under five childre

Food Safety and Hygiene Practices among Food Vendorsin Tertiary Hospitals Inplateau State Nigeria

Background:Food safety and hygiene are essential in promoting and preserving the health of the consumers, given that food borne diseases are significant contributors to morbidity and mortality globally.Unhygienic food has been implicatednbsp in the outbreak of several food related illnesses with factors such as poor food handling practices of food vendors as the major culprit. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the level of food safety and hygiene practices and its determinants among food vendors in tertiary hospitals in Plateau state, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross sectional study carried outnbsp among 87 food vendors in food vending premises within the four tertiary health institutions in Plateau state, Nigeria using a multi-stage sampling technique andnbsp quantitative method of data collection.nbsp Epi info statistical software version7.0 was used for data analysis.nbsp Crude odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were used in this study with a p-value of le 0.05 considered statistically significant.Result: The mean age of the food vendors in this study was 30.6 plusmn 9.0 years with slightly above half of the respondents 54.0% adjudged as engaging in good practice of food safety and hygiene. Attendance of training and availability of running water within the food vending premises showed statistically significant relationship with the practice of food safety.Conclusion: The level of practice of food safety and hygiene requires improvement as wholesomeness and utmost safety of food is essential to promoting and preserving health