Road safety, alcohol consumption and visual function of motor bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

Causes of road traffic accidents (RTA) in developing nations have been attributed in part, to poor vision due to excessive alcohol consumption. This cross-sectional study assessed the visual acuity of 230 male motor-bike riders in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria, and their potentials for alcohol abuse, using the cluster sampling technique.A semi-structured interviewer/self administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, road traffic accidents and alcohol use, while visual acuity was assessed with a Snellens chart. Results showed good right and left eye vision among 68.3% and 71.3% of the riders respectively, but visual impairment was observed among 25.2% (right) and 26.5% (left) of the riders, and the impairment was severe among 6.5% (right) and 2.2% (left) of them. Up to 69.57% had potential for alcohol abuse, while 5.22% and 25.22% had borderline or no potential for alcohol abuse respectively. About half of the respondents (118; 51.3%) have had a road traffic accident in the last one year and there was a statistically significant association between visual acuity and road traffic accidents (P = 0.000). Although majority of respondents had good visual acuity and a high potential for alcohol abuse, there involvement in road traffic accidents was low.Keywords: Poor vision, Visual acuity, Road traffic accident, Alcohol abus

Medical cost of Lassa fever treatment in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Nigeria

This cross-sectional study sought to estimate the direct medical cost of Lassa fever treatment on patients in South-South  Nigeria. All the 73 confirmed Lassa fever cases admitted in the isolation ward of the Institute Of Lassa Fever Research and  Control, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) Irrua, in Edo State, Nigeria, between May 2015 and May 2016 were  studied. A checklist was used to collect data on the socio-demographic characteristics and medical cost incurred by the  patients. Data entry and analysis was done using SPSS version 20. The average total direct cost for Lassa fever treatment  was N86,802.63 per patient for the subsidized treatment and N205,558.99 per patient for the unsubsidized treatment.  Medications accounted for the highest unsubsidized payments (N86,929.55; 42.10%) while hospital care accounted for the  highest cost component of he subsidized payments (N19,756.51; 22.76%). Up to 84.28% of medication and 70.8% of  investigations was subsidized making a total of 57.77% subsidy in the average total payments per patient. For an average  Nigerian, direct cost of treatment of Lassa fever is still expensive despite subsidy in medications and investigations.  Therefore efforts geared towards reducing the economic burden of Lassa fever on patients and their families are advocated.Keywords: Lassa fever, medical cost, poverty-reduction, South-South Nigeri