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CARE SEEKING PRACTICES ON DIARRHOEA IN A RURAL COMMUNITY IN NIGERIA

JF Olawuyi, BE Egbewale, LA Anifalaje, EA Okochi

 

Abstract

Although diarrhoea is a preventable disease, it still remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among Nigeria children. A Nigerian child under age of five has an average of 4.3 diarrhoea episodes each year. The transfer to 70 million episodes of diarrhoea in children under five, based on the 1991 census. With case fatality rate of 0.4% (1), Nigeria records 300,000 diarrhoea related deaths each year in children under five years of age. This community survey was conducted in the south west of Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara state, Nigeria, to enable us determine care-seeking and diarrhoea management practices in a typical rural setting. Four thousand and sixty one (4,061) children under five year of age from nine villages were studied using the standard WHO questionnaire on diarrhoea case management and morbidity. The survey focused mainly on children who had diarrhoea in the 24-hour period prior to the study. Of the 4061 children who were 5 years or below, 876(21.6%) had diarrhoea two weeks prior to the study. There were 207 children (5.1%) who had diarrhoea within 24 hours prior to the study. The rate of use of salt sugar solution (SSS) was 16%, while that of oral rehydration salt (ORS) was 6%. Seventy three percent of mothers interviewed did nothing for the treatment of diarrhoea, nor understood what to do. 16% used various drugs. 69% of the health facilities in these rural districts used antibiotics as their first line anti-diarrhoea treatment. Health education on oral rehydration therapy (ORT) needs to be intensified at the grassroots level.

Keywords: Diarrhoea, Children, Care, Rural

African Journal Of Clinical And Experimental Microbiology Jan 2004 Vol.5 No.1 119-125

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ANTI BACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF SOME SELECTED DISINFECTANTS REGULARLY USED IN HOSPITALS

OA Olowe, AB Olayemi, KIT Eniola, OA Adeyeba

 

Abstract

The antibacterial activities of three commercial disinfectants: Dettol, Robert and Savlon against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella spp. and Bacillus spp. were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined using the well technique of media diffusion method. The highest MIC of 1:10 against Pseudomonas aeruginosa by Roberts and the lowest MIC of 1:60 by Savlon against Staphylococcus aureus were observed. The highest minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 1:10 against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was by Robert. All test organisms were susceptible to various dilution of Savlon used.

African Journal Of Clinical And Experimental Microbiology Jan 2004 Vol.5 No.1 126-130

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HELICOBACTER PYLORI SEROLOGY AND EVALUATION OF GASTRODUODENAL DISEASE IN NIGERIANS WITH DYSPEPSIA

JA Otegbayo, OA Oluwasola, A Yakubu, GN Odaibo, OD Olaleye

 

Abstract

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) has been strongly associated with various gastroduodenal diseases worldwide with only a few studies emanating from developing countries. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of serum Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and underlying gastroduodenal pathology in Nigerian patients with dyspepsia and ascertain the usefulness of H. pylori IgG screening in decreasing endoscopic workload in dyspeptics in Nigeria. Fifty-five patients with dyspepsia and 55 age and sex-matched apparently normal control were screened for H. pylori IgG using ImmunocombRII kits. Each of the 55 patients was also examined endoscopically with biopsies taken appropriately. Serology was positive in 94.5% and 92.7% of dyspeptic patients and controls respectively. Gastroduodenal inflammation was the commonest endoscopic finding, 43 (78.18%). Other findings were malignant gastric tumour 6(10.9%), reflux oesophagitis 3 (5.45%), gastric ulcer 2 (3.64%), and duodenal ulcer in 1 (1.82%). Chronic gastritis was the main histopathologic finding in the dyspeptic patients. It is concluded that serum H. pyloriIgG cannot be used as a screening procedure to reduce endoscopic workload in Nigerian patients with dyspepsia.

Key Words: dyspepsia; Helicobacter pylori serology; gastroduodenal disease

African Journal Of Clinical And Experimental Microbiology Jan 2004 Vol.5 No.1 131-138

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PITYRIASIS VERSICOLOR – POSSIBLE GENETIC BASIS, PROBABLE TRANSITION FROM COMMENSALISM TO PARASITISM AND THE IMPLICATION ON TREATMENT APPROACH

AO George, OOM Daramola

 

Abstract

Non-occurrence of Pityriasis versicolor (PV) in spouses of individuals with this superficial fungal infection despite several years of cohabitation suggests that heredity might play an important role in those affected. Forty subjects who were married were studied in two phases. The first phase involved using a detailed structured format to obtain information on the presence of PV in subjects, their spouses and siblings. In the second phase the family of an index case was studied over a 2-year period from a clinical and mycological aspect. Seventy percent of subjects interviewed in the first phase had at least one family member with PV. In the second phase, 4 other siblings of the index case studied all had PV. Of the 3 that were married (index case inclusive), 2 had PV but none of their spouses had. This study supports the role of heredity in individuals with PV.

Keywords: Pityriasis versicolor, Hereditary, Treatment

African Journal Of Clinical And Experimental Microbiology Jan 2004 Vol.5 No.1 139-147