Symptoms of depression among outpatients with suspected COVID-19 in metropolitan Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The novel SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has redefined global health and response to Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI). The outbreak of a cluster of influenza-like illnesses in Wuhan, China, has morphed into a pandemic in the last quarter of 2019, stretching from South East Asia to Europe, The Americas, Africa, and the Australian subcontinent. We evaluated the prevalence of depression among outpatients diagnosed with ARI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilized a cross-sectional, observational design and investigated the prevalence of symptoms of depression among outpatients with ARI and described the characteristics of outpatients with ARI in Kaduna State. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms of depression was 19.6% for respondents with symptoms of ARI and 14.4% for those without symptoms of ARI. On no risk of depression, we had a higher proportion of the respondents without symptoms of ARI (86%) than those with symptoms of depression (80%) (M = 318.4, SD = 29.62 case, and M = 344.0, SD = 14.2 control, r = 0.88, CI = 13.5 to 6.5, P = 0.000952). Likewise, in the category with mild risk of depression, respondents without symptoms of ARI were fewer (10%) than those with symptoms of depression (15%) (M = 58.4, SD = 26.0 case, and M = 42.1, SD = 12.7 control, r = 0.86, CI = 11.8 to 5.8, P = 0.0136. There was no significant difference between respondents with symptoms of ARI and without symptoms of ARI in the categories of moderate (M = 13.6, SD = 5.1 case, and M = 11.6, SD = 4.6 control, r = 0.87, CI = 2.3 to 2.1, P = 0.178) and high (M = 5.6, SD = 2.5 case, and M = 4.4, SD = 3.2 control, r = 0.61, CI = 1.2 to 1.5, P = 0.174) risk of depression. CONCLUSION: Symptoms of depression were commoner among respondents who presented with symptoms of Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) at the Outpatient Department (OPD). However, further explanatory research is needed to establish causality.

Using the polio programme to deliver primary health care in Nigeria: implementation research.

Objective: To evaluate a project that integrated essential primary health-care services into the oral polio vaccine programme in hard-to-reach, underserved communities in northern Nigeria. Methods: In 2013, Nigeria's polio emergency operation centre adopted a new approach to rapidly raise polio immunity and reduce newborn, child and maternal morbidity and mortality. We identified, trained and equipped eighty-four mobile health teams to provide free vaccination and primary-care services in 3176 hard-to-reach settlements. We conducted cross-sectional surveys of women of childbearing age in households with children younger than 5 years, in 317 randomly selected settlements, pre- and post-intervention (March 2014 and November 2015, respectively). Findings: From June 2014 to September 2015 mobile health teams delivered 2 979 408 doses of oral polio vaccine and dewormed 1 562 640 children younger than 5 years old; performed 676 678 antenatal consultations and treated 1 682 671 illnesses in women and children, including pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. The baseline survey found that 758 (19.6%) of 3872 children younger than 5 years had routine immunization cards and 690/3872 (17.8%) were fully immunized for their age. The endline survey found 1757/3575 children (49.1%) with routine immunization cards and 1750 (49.0%) fully immunized. Children vaccinated with 3 or more doses of oral polio vaccine increased from 2133 (55.1%) to 2666 (74.6%). Households' use of mobile health services in the previous 6 months increased from 509/1472 (34.6%) to 2060/2426(84.9%). Conclusion: Integrating routine primary-care services into polio eradication activities in Nigeria resulted in increased coverage for supplemental oral polio vaccine doses and essential maternal, newborn and child health interventions.