Factors affecting vaccine handling and storage practices among immunization service providers in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Improper handling has been identified as one of the major reasons for the decline in vaccine potency at the time of administration. Loss of potency becomes evident when immunised individuals contract the diseases the vaccines were meant to prevent. OBJECTIVE: Assessing the factors associated with vaccine handling and storage practices. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. Three-stage sampling was used to recruit 380 vaccine handlers from 273 health facilities from 11 Local Government areas in Ibadan. Data was analysed using SPSS version 16. RESULTS: Seventy-three percent were aware of vaccine handling and storage guidelines with 68.4% having ever read such guidelines. Only 15.3% read a guideline less than 1 month prior to the study. About 65.0% had received training on vaccine management. Incorrect handling practices reported included storing injections with vaccines (13.7%) and maintaining vaccine temperature using ice blocks (7.6%). About 43.0% had good knowledge of vaccine management, while 66.1% had good vaccine management practices. Respondents who had good knowledge of vaccine handling and storage [OR=10.0, 95%CI (5.28 - 18.94), p < 0.001] and had received formal training on vaccine management [OR=5.3, 95%CI (2.50 - 11.14), p< 0.001] were more likely to have good vaccine handling and storage practices. CONCLUSION: Regular training is recommended to enhance vaccine handling and storage practices.

Excess Metabolic Syndrome Risks Among Women Health Workers Compared With Men.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with higher rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although significant disparities in the risks of metabolic syndrome by occupation type and sex are well documented, the factors associated with metabolic syndrome in low- to middle-income countries remain unclear. These gaps in evidence identify the need for patterns of metabolic syndrome among hospital personnel of both sexes in Nigeria. A total of 256 hospital workers comprising 32.8% men were studied. The mean age of the participants was 42.03 ± 9.4 years. Using International Diabetic Federation criteria, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 24.2%. Women were substantially and significantly more likely to be identified with metabolic syndrome compared with men (34.9% vs 2.4%, respectively; P=.0001). This study identified metabolic syndrome among health workers with over one third of women with metabolic syndrome compared with <10% of men. These results support the implementation of lifestyle modification programs for management of metabolic syndrome in the health care workplace.

Comparative analysis of clinical and computed tomography features of basal skull fractures in head injury in southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Basal skull fractures (BSF) in head injury may be missed clinically. Early detection ensures prompt treatment and prevention of complications We compared the clinical and Computed Tomography (CT) features of basal skull fractures in head injured patients in a southwestern Nigerian hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Head injury patients who had cranial CT at a Southwestern Nigerian hospital were selected. CT images were acquired with a 64-slice Toshiba Aquillion CT scanner using a standard head protocol. The images were evaluated for evidence of skull fractures, and associated complications. The clinical data and CT findings were analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty patients were evaluated, including 103 (79.2%) males. Their ages ranged between 7 months and 81 years, mean 35 years (SD, 20.3). In 59 patients (45.4%, 59/130) BSF was detected on CT, while 71 (54.6%) had no evidence BSF. Forty-two (71.2%) of the 59 patients detected on CT had clinical suspicion of BSF (P < 0.001) while the remaining 17 (28.8%) were not clinically diagnosed. This equaled a sensitivity of 71.2% and, specificity of 90.1% for clinical determination of BSF in this study. There was no statistically significant difference between clinical and CT diagnosis (P > 0.05). The commonest observed clinical feature in patients with confirmed BSF was otorrhagia (45.8%) and the petrous temporal bone (45.8%) was the most commonly fractured bone. The BSF was caused most commonly by motor bike accidents in 53 (40.8%). The most common associated intracranial injuries were intracerebral haemorrhage (34.6%) and subdural (17.3%). CONCLUSION: It appears that neurosurgical evaluation is comparatively reliable in evaluating basal skull fractures in this study area even as they are consistently demonstrated by high resolution CT scanners. A clinical suspicion of BSF should warrant a closer detailed CT evaluation and reporting by radiologists.