RESUMEN
More than a year after its declaration as a pandemic, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global health problem. The common symptoms of COVID-19 are like the presentation of common childhood illnesses. Hence, we determined the prevalence, and outcomes of COVID-19 in children with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This study was a retrospective review of data obtained from the screening of children with respiratory and or gastrointestinal symptoms for COVID-19. All children aged 1 month to 18 years with respiratory and or gastrointestinal symptoms were screened for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The tests for COVID-19 along their socio-demographic and clinical parameters were extracted from the hospital records. We recruited 129 children with a median (IQR) age of 1.1(0.5 - 2.3) years. Most of the children 111(86.0%) were under-five. Out of 129 children, 13 (10.1%) were positive for COVID-19 and 10 of the 13 positive cases were under-five. The COVID-19 status had no relationship with age, gender, and socioeconomic status, p >0.05. Children with a history of contact with a confirmed case had a significant association with COVID-19 (OR 110.368, CI 5.519-2207.306). Amongst the clinical features, the presence of fever was associated with COVID-19 (OR 4.4 CI 1.239-14.750) Conclusion: This study shows a higher likelihood of COVID-19 in children with a history of contact and fever.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B vaccination is the most important preventive measure against Hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection. Vaccination against HBV infection among healthcare workers is important because of their daily exposure to patients' body fluids and the possible risk of transmission to other patients. Hence, this study assessed the risk of hepatitis B infection, vaccination status and associated factors among healthcare workers in six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted between January and June 2021 using electronic data capture techniques to enroll 857 healthcare workers (HCWs) in regular contact with patients and their samples through a multi-stage sampling method. RESULTS: The participants' mean (SD) age was 38.7 (8.0) years, and 453 (52.9%) were female. Each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria had a fair representation, with a range of 15.3 to 17.7% of the study population. The majority (83.8%) of healthcare workers in Nigeria knew that they were at an increased risk of being infected by their work. Also, 72.2% knew that if infected, there was a high risk of liver cancer in later life. Many participants (642 [74.9%]) responded that they consistently applied standard precautions, such as hand washing, gloves, and face masks while attending to patients. Three hundred and sixty (42.0%) participants were fully vaccinated. Of the 857 respondents, 248 (28.9%) did not receive any dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Factors that were associated with not being vaccinated included age less than 25 [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.796, 95% CI 1.119 to 20.547, p = 0.035], being a nurse (AOR 2.346, 95% CI 1.446 to 3.808, p = 0.010), being a health attendant (AOR 9.225, 95% CI 4.532 to 18.778, p = 0.010), and being a healthcare worker from the Southeast (AOR 2.152, 95% CI 1.186 to 3.904, p = 0.012) in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: This study showed a high level of awareness of the risks associated with hepatitis B infection and suboptimal uptake of the hepatitis B vaccine among healthcare workers in Nigeria.
