Coronavirus disease 2019 risk assessment of adults and geospatial mapping in selected communities of Southwest Nigeria.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remained a worldwide public health problem. Risk assessment and mapping can be deployed to assist in the control and management of disease outbreaks. Aim: The aim of this study was to conduct COVID-19 risk assessment and mapping in selected communities of Southwest Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of adults, 18 years and above, involving the use of multi-stage sampling. Data collection was done with a pre-tested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23 and Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS desktop version 10.5 were used for data analysis and spatial mapping, respectively. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The respondents' mean age was 40.6 ± 14.5 years. Self-reported vulnerability factors identified included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, working in hospital facility, cigarette smoking and age ≥60 years amongst others. About a quarter (20.2%) had a high risk of COVID-19 following risk quantification. The risk cuts across geographical locations and socio-economic status. Education was significantly associated with COVID-19 risk. The spatial interpolation map revealed that the farther a community was from the high-burden area, the lower the risk of COVID-19. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 risk. Identified communities with COVID-19 high-risk burden in the risk mapping and those with stratified proximity to these areas need to be targeted by the government for a public health awareness campaign.

SARS-CoV-2 variants-associated outbreaks of COVID-19 in a tertiary institution, North-Central Nigeria: Implications for epidemic control.

The COVID-19 global pandemic is being driven by evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants with consequential implications on virus transmissibility, host immunity, and disease severity. Continuous molecular and genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 variants is therefore necessary for public health interventions toward the management of the pandemic. This study is a retrospective analysis of COVID-19 cases reported in a Nigerian tertiary institution from July to December 2021. In total, 705 suspected COVID-19 cases that comprised 547 students and 158 non-students were investigated by real time PCR (RT-PCR); of which 372 (~52.8%) tested positive for COVID-19. Using a set of selection criteria, 74 (~19.9%) COVID-19 positive samples were selected for next generation sequencing. Data showed that there were two outbreaks of COVID-19 within the university community over the study period, during which more females (56.8%) tested positive than males (47.8%) (p<0.05). Clinical data together with phylogenetic analysis suggested community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through mostly asymptomatic and/or pre-symptomatic individuals. Confirmed COVID-19 cases were mostly mild, however, SARS-CoV-2 delta (77%) and omicron (4.1%) variants were implicated as major drivers of respective waves of infections during the study period. This study highlights the importance of integrated surveillance of communicable disease during outbreaks.

Rubella transmissibility and reproduction number (Ro): A critical appraisal of the prospects for its control in Nigeria.

Rubella is a highly contagious disease of public health importance that is endemic in Nigeria. Rubella with its devastating sequel, congenital rubella syndrome, is a neglected disease with no surveillance system in place and no national incidence figure in Nigeria. This article, therefore, seeks to do reviews of rubella transmissibility, its reproduction number and the prospects for its control in Nigeria. This is a review of literatures with triangulation of findings along the objectives and the use of available secondary data to analyse the prospects of rubella control in Nigeria. Data were analysed and presented with appropriate tables and charts. A number of factors can fuel rubella transmission causing increase in reproduction number, Ro.The high birth rate, poor rubella surveillance and non-inclusion of rubella vaccines in the routine vaccination schedule among others are some of the factors working against a good outlook for rubella control in Nigeria. The Nigerian government should control the growing population, ensure a robust surveillance for rubella and incorporate rubella-containing vaccine in the immunisation schedule for infants with regular vaccination campaigns for older children and adults.

Awareness and use of insecticide treated nets among women attending ante-natal clinic in a northern state of Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the awareness, accessibility and use of ITN by pregnant women attending ante-natal clinic (ANC) at the Primary Health Care (PHC) level considering the Government commitment of ensuring that at least 60% of pregnant women benefit from ITN by year 2010. METHODS: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in all 78 PHC centres in the state. Four hundred and fifty-five (455) pregnant women that consented to the study where interviewed during their ANC sessions using semi-structured questionnaires. Data entry and analysis was done on a micro computer; frequency tables and cross tabulations of important variables were done; and Chi-square test was used for the test of significance. RESULTS: About one-third 164 (36%) of the respondents were aware of ITN in malaria prevention, but less than a third 124 (27%) had ever used it and only 88 (19%) were currently using it, while 104 (23%) of the total respondents had a member of their household using ITN. Some of the difficulties encountered or experienced by respondents currently using ITN were scarcity of new nets, difficulty in getting chemicals for re-treatment of nets, non availability of quality ITN for sale. Three hundred and thirty-one (73%) respondents have never used ITN before because of lack of awareness 136 (41%), price of ITN is too costly 26 (8%) and non-availability of ITN for purchase 67 (20%). Respondents' age, educational level, parity and source of information or awareness on ITN have no significant influence on ITN use (P > 0.05); however, the frequency of malaria attack among respondents using ITN was lower than those not using it and this was significant (P > 0.0043). CONCLUSION: Awareness and utilization of ITN among pregnant women and their household members is still low despite Government policy of free ITN for vulnerable groups and subsidized nets for other people. There is need to focus on creating demand for ITNs through all available health information channels including social marketing.