Mpox in Children and Adolescents during Multicountry Outbreak, 2022-2023.

The 2022-2023 mpox outbreak predominantly affected adult men; 1.3% of reported cases were in children and adolescents <18 years of age. Analysis of global surveillance data showed 1 hospital intensive care unit admission and 0 deaths in that age group. Transmission routes and clinical manifestations varied across age subgroups.

A retrospective study of tuberculosis prevalence and associated factors among HIV-positive key populations in Nigeria.

HIV is a major risk factor for active Tuberculosis (TB.) This raises patients' risk of original infection, reinfection, and TB reactivation. Providing healthcare to KPLHIV in developing countries requires TB prevalence research. This study aims to determine the prevalence of TB and HIV co-infection and associated factors among KPLHIV. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study among KP's living with HIV enrolled on care in One Stop Shop (OSS) of Heartland Alliance Ltd/GTE across six states in Nigeria. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS version 25.0. Secondary data analysis of client's records from the RADET files of the KPCARE 1 project from 6 states was conducted. Means with standard deviations were computed for continuous variables like age, and frequency tables were generated for categorical variables. Chi-square tests and t-tests were used for the bivariate analysis of variables. All tests were done at a 5% level of statistical significance (p = 0.05).TB prevalence was 19.1% among KP's living with HIV, with variations observed in age groups, geographic locations, target populations, marital status, educational backgrounds, clinical characteristics, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) history. KPs aged 51 and above exhibited the highest TB prevalence (21.0%), while those aged below 20 years had the lowest (18.2%). Jigawa KPs recorded the highest TB prevalence (38.4%), and Niger had the least (13.3%). TB was more prevalent among People who inject drugs (20.3%), divorced (32.3%), and those who attained Qur'anic education (29.7%). KPs who had to restart ART exhibited the highest TB prevalence (22.0%), whereas those who experienced Interruption in treatment (IIT) reported the lowest at 10.0%. Immune-suppressed KPs (CD4 counts < 200 cells/m3) had a higher TB prevalence of 26.6%. TB prevalence among KPs living with HIV varies greatly, underlining the need for targeted treatments, especially for high-risk categories, to improve HIV treatment outcomes and reduce TB prevalence.

Prevalence and factors associated with psychological distress among key populations in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Stigmatization and discrimination within healthcare settings deter key populations (KPs) from seeking mental health and psychosocial support (MHPS). Consequently, understanding the prevalence, associated factors, and impact of the MHPSS intervention on psychological distress among Nigeria's KPs is crucial. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study focused on KPs, including Female Sex Workers (FSW), Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), and People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) enrolled in Heartland Alliance LTD/GTE across 17 One-Stop Shops (OSS) in six states of Nigeria. Data were extracted from the databases of the OSS. PD was assessed using the Mental Health Screening Form III (MHSF-III). Descriptive statistics and univariable and multivariable binary logistic regression models were done using IBM-SPSS version 28. RESULTS: The prevalence of PD among the KPs was 9.7%. Higher rates were observed among FSWs (12.0%). Of the 22310 KPs, the prevalence of PD was 9.7%. The major dependants of PD include being a PWID with PD prevalence of 8.5% and AOR of 1.95 (95% CI: 0.60-0.98, p = 0.015), alcohol intake with PD prevalence of 97.7% and AOR of 21.83 (95% CI: 15.13-56.83, p<0.001), and having experienced gender-based violence with PD prevalence of 99.0% and AOR of 25.70(95% CI: 17.10-38.73, p<0.001). All Participants (100%) were given brief intervention, and 1595 of 2159 (73.8%) were referred for further psychological intervention. The services with the highest proportion were psychoeducation (21.20%), followed by coping skills training (17.70%) and motivational enhancement (12.90%). CONCLUSION: The study highlights the critical need for targeted mental health interventions among KPs in Nigeria, primarily focusing on those with a history of substance abuse and gender-based violence. Despite universal brief interventions, the proportion enrolled in further Psychosocial support indicates a need to improve mental health service utilization among the KPs in Nigeria.

Variations in the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation Among Reproductive-aged Women in Nigeria Across Three Generations.

Background and Objective: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is widespread mainly in low and middle-income countries. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM, accounting for about one of every four cases globally. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of FGM among three generations in Abuja, the federal capital city of Nigeria. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) within two area councils of Abuja (Bwari and Abuja Municipal) and Nyanya suburban district adjoining the federal capital territory in Nigeria. The respondents are pregnant women attending antenatal care at four selected health facilities. Data were collected using Google Forms and were analyzed with SPSS for Windows version 25. Results: This study comprised data from 634 females (who had an average age of 33±6.0 years) from four major healthcare facilities in Abuja. The most common age group was 30 - 34 years (29.2%). The prevalence of FGM in the first generation (37.7%) was significantly higher than in the second (28.5%) and the third generations (8.7%) (p<0.01). The prevalence of FGM in the second generation was also significantly higher than in the third (p<0.01). The predictors of women circumcising their daughters include primary/no-education AOR 1.48 (95% CI: 0.41-5.31; p<0.05), being a traditionalist 4.94 (95% CI: 0.29-84.56; p<0.05), or Muslim 2.27 (95% CI: 0.94-5.49; p<0.05), respondent's mother being circumcised 1.69 (95% CI: 0.26-10.85, p<0.05) or mother's circumcision unknown 5.41 (95% CI: 0.78-37.34; p<0.05), respondents being circumcised 54.71 (95% CI: 0.78-37.34; p<0.001), culture 2.48 (95% CI: 1.00-6.19; p<0.05), and ignorance of adverse psycho-social/emotional effects of FGM 4.39 (95% CI: 1.46-13.17; p<0.05). Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Although there is a decline in FGM prevalence from the first generation to the third generation in Nigeria, the current prevalence of 8.7% remains a public health concern. Nigerian women's ongoing experience of FGM requires both individual and stakeholders' involvement to eradicate health-related problems such as tissue damage, infection, scarring, infertility, and pains during sexual intercourse, urination, and menstruation.