Assessment of the Timely Administration of Birth Dose Vaccines in Northern Nigeria and Associated Factors.

Background: Lack of a timely receipt of vaccines can cause uncertain immune response and under-vaccination. Hence, timely vaccination is crucial to ensure an infant's early protection. Objectives: To identify the age of presentation for the birth dose vaccines, vaccine antigens received and factors associated with vaccination presentation by day one in Northern Nigeria. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study involving 1 952 mother-infant pairs enrolled from 5 different states in Northern Nigeria. Data was collected using a questionnaire including the socio-demographic, antenatal care (ANC), delivery details, birth dates, vaccination presentation and birth vaccine antigens received. Data analysis was done with the SPSS-21 software. Findings: The median age of the infants at presentation for birth vaccines was six (interquartile range 2-16) days. A total of 413 (21.2%) infants were brought by the day of birth (day 0) or the next day (Day one), while one-fifth (20.6%) presented after Day 28. The most frequently received antigen was the Bacille-Calmette-Guerin by 1 781 infants (91.2%), oral polio vaccine 1 703 (87.2%), and hepatitis B vaccine birth dose the lowest at 75.1% (1 565). The commonest reasons for delayed presentations were an ill baby (24.7%) and an ill mother (21.9%).Factors associated with presentation within Day one post-birth were hospital delivery (OR-1.67, 95% CI; 1.28-2.19), firstborn (OR-1.40; 95%CI; 1.02-1.93), Christianity (OR-2.14 95% CI; 1.63-2.81), and mother with tertiary education (OR-1.62, 95% CI; 1.05-2.48). Conclusion: Timely administration of the birth dose vaccines is low in Northern Nigeria. Furthermore, some babies do not get the required vaccines despite presenting for vaccination due to stockout. Strategies for early neonatal vaccination such as vaccination in hospital suites post-delivery and utilizing relatives/fathers to take the baby for vaccination when a mother is indisposed are imperative.

Willingness of Mothers to Receive Reminders for Routine Vaccination Appointments in Northern Nigeria: A Multi-Centre Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Routine vaccination, a cost-effective means of preventing deadly childhood disease, has a low coverage in Nigeria. The study assessed the willingness of mothers to receive reminder messages for routine vaccination appointments in Northern Nigeria. METHODS: A multi-centre cross-sectional study involving at least 363 mother-infant pairs per centre from five states in Northern Nigeria. Data collected include the socio-demographic details, responses on parental phone ownership, mothers' willingness to receive reminders for immunization appointments and the reminder type characteristics. Data analysis was done with SPSS. RESULTS: Of the 1952 mother-infant pairs, ownership of at least one household phone was 97.7%. In total, 1613 (82.6%) mothers were willing to receive reminders. A majority (62.2%) of mothers preferred phone calls. A day before the vaccination appointment was the preferred timing (78.1%), and the predominant communication language was the local language for each region.The odds of being willing to receive reminders were 3.1 times, 2.6 times and 1.8 times higher in those with no formal education, primary education and secondary education, respectively, compared with mothers with tertiary education, each p < 0.05. Mothers who delivered at home were significantly less likely to want reminder messages (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Eight of 10 women in Northern Nigeria are willing to receive a reminder for their child. The predominant mode of reminder preferred is phone calls using the local language. Deployment of mobile phone reminders strategy in Northern Nigeria as a means to improve vaccination uptake is feasible. The institution of this strategy can be in collaboration with service providers.

Impact of climatic variables on childhood severe malaria in a tertiary health facility in northern Nigeria.

Introduction: Despite the recent progress in the malaria burden, climatic factors are important if the world will achieve the set target of its eradication. Hence, this study determined the impact of climatic conditions on childhood severe malaria in a tertiary health facility in northern Nigeria. Methodology: This was a retrospective descriptive study that involved children with severe malaria managed between July 2016 and August 2017. The diagnosis of severe malaria was according to the World Health Organization 2015 guidelines. We extracted relevant data from case records and obtained the weather information from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and www.worldweatheronline.com. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel 2013 and analyzed with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20. Results: A total of 483 cases of children with severe malaria were managed. The median age was 4.0 (2.5-8.0) years. Males were 261 (54.0%). In the wet season, 375 (77.6%) cases were recorded, while 108 (22.4%) cases occurred during the dry season. The odds of malaria occurring during the wet season were 2.057 (95% CI, 1.613-2.622). Temperature patterns were not related to malaria cases. Malaria cases showed significant moderate positive cross-correlation at 2- and 3-months lag for the rainfall pattern (best cross-correlation occurred at 3 months lag with a coefficient of 0.598, p = 0.045). Conclusion: This study demonstrated marked seasonality of childhood severe malaria infection with 77% of cases during the wet season. Malaria was associated with only rainfall at a 2 to 3 months lag amongst the climatic variables. We recommend the urgent implementation of seasonal malaria chemoprophylaxis.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 and Predictors of Outcome in Nigeria: A Single-Center Study.

There is a paucity of information regarding the epidemiology and outcome of COVID-19 from low/middle-income countries, including from Nigeria. This single-center study described the clinical features, laboratory findings, and predictors of in-hospital mortality of COVID-19 patients. Patients admitted between April 10, 2020 and June 10, 2020 were included. Forty-five patients with a mean age of 43 (16) years, predominantly male (87%), presented with fever (38%), cough (29%), or dyspnea (24%). In-hospital mortality was 16%. The independent predictors of mortality were hypoxemia (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3-5.1) and creatinine > 1.5 mg/dL (aOR: 4.3; 95% CI: 1.9-9.8).