Willingness to accept malaria vaccines amongst women presenting at outpatient and immunization clinics in Enugu state, Southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There are giant steps taken in the introduction of the novel malaria vaccine poised towards reducing mortality and morbidity associated with malaria. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the knowledge of malaria vaccine and factors militating against willingness to accept the vaccine among mothers presenting in nine hospitals in Enugu metropolis. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 491 mothers who presented with their children in nine hospitals in Enugu metropolis, South-East Nigeria. A pre-tested and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used in this study. RESULTS: A majority of the respondents, 72.1% were aware of malaria vaccine. A majority of the respondents, 83.1% were willing to receive malaria vaccine. Similarly, a majority of the mothers, 92.9%, were willing to vaccinate baby with the malaria vaccine, while 81.1% were willing to vaccinate self and baby with the malaria vaccine. The subjects who belong to the low socio-economic class were five times less likely to vaccinate self and baby with malaria vaccine when compared with those who were in the high socio-economic class (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.5). Mothers who had good knowledge of malaria vaccination were 3.3 times more likely to vaccinate self and baby with malaria vaccine when compared with those who had poor knowledge of malaria vaccination (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI 1-6-6.8). CONCLUSION: Although the study documented a high vaccine acceptance among the mothers, there exists a poor knowledge of the malaria vaccine among them.

Economic Burden of Diabetes and Hypertension: A Study of Direct and Indirect Cost of Treatment in Southeast Nigeria.

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension is increasing yearly in many low- and middle-income countries such as Nigeria. The increasing burden of these noncommunicable diseases has led to an increase in the overall cost of health care. This study aimed at determining the direct and indirect health care costs of diabetes mellitus and hypertension occurring both singly and in co-morbidity. The study was undertaken in the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital (a tertiary hospital) in Enugu State, Southeast Nigeria. Data were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire. Out of 817 patients interviewed, 37% had only diabetes mellitus, 35% had hypertension, and 28% had both diabetes mellitus and hypertension in co-morbidity. Direct costs of treating diabetes mellitus and hypertension in the month before the survey were $28.40 and $19.35, respectively, while the indirect costs of treatment in the month before the study were $7.36 and $5.51, respectively. Direct and indirect costs for diabetes mellitus and hypertension in co-morbidity were $37.00 and $4.62, respectively. A concentration index showed that diabetes mellitus and hypertension were more evident among the poor than the rich. The economic cost when compared with patients' income revealed that >25% of their income is spent monthly on health care.