Telemedicine and biomedical care in Africa: Prospects and challenges.

The use of information and communication technology for health care delivery, particularly in poor settings where access to medical services is inadequate, holds promise in expanding health care access. In rural or impoverished environment, where disease is prevalent, doctors are scarce, and health care infrastructure is inadequate, telemedicine holds a good prospect in improving the health conditions of the people. However, telemedical practice in Africa cannot be without challenges because some aspects are often difficult to implement in underdeveloped settings where ignorance and poverty are rife. Apart from nonavailability of facilities and poor communication, most Africans have different understanding of ailments, which often affect the health system. Considering the increasing disease burden in Africa and the need for tremendous progress in achieving the health component of the millennium development goals, telemedicine should be of concern to health policy makers. This paper critically examines the prospects and challenges of telemedical practice in Africa through a systematic review of 31 relevant publications which, in addition to the authors' knowledge and experience in biomedical care in Africa, supported the information as presented.

Oncocytic Schneiderian papilloma occurring in a young Nigerian male: a case report.

Oncocytic Schneiderian papilloma is one of the three morphologically separate tumors that arise from the Schneiderian membrane (the others are fungi form papilloma and inverted papilloma). It is quite rare in our environment. We report a case of Oncocytic Schneiderian papilloma arising from the right maxillary sinus and extending to the ipsilateral nasal region in a 26year old Nigerian male. The growth was present for a period of 5 months before his presentation on 18-10-2005 and recurred again nine months later after excision. Both excised tissues were confirmed by histology to be Oncocytic Schneiderian papilloma, with no evidence of malignancy after a rigorous search.

Ear-related problems among children attending the paediatric and otorhinolaryngology out-patients clinics of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu.

BACKGROUND: Ear related diseases are commonly seen in clinics worldwide especially among children. They are associated with significant morbidity and frequent hospital visits. Limited data exists regarding the burden of ear disease among Nigerian children. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of ear-related problems among children presenting at the Paediatric and Otorhinolaryngology clinics of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Paediatric and Otorhinolaryngology Clinics of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu. All children aged 0 and 17 years presenting between 1(st) June and 31(st) August 2006 with ear-related problems were enrolled consecutively into the study. Data analysis was by SPSS version 11. RESULTS: Three thousand and twenty-one children were seen during the study period. Out of these, 248 children (8.2%) presented with ear-related problems. Chronic otitis media (30.5%), acute otitis media (29.9%), cerumen auris (11.3%), otitis externa (10.1%), hearing impairment (7.3%) and foreign body in the ear (5.7%) were the most commonly diagnosed ear-related problems. CONCLUSION: Ear-related problems among children presenting at the UNTH Enugu were not uncommon. However, otitis media was the most commonly diagnosed ailment affecting the ears in children.