scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEPTION OF CAUSES OF GROSS HAEMATURIA AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF KWALKWALAWA RIVERINE SETTLEMENT OF SOKOTO

Author(s):  
Isah ◽  
Musa Giro ◽  
Yahaya ◽  
Awosan ◽  
Ibrahim ◽  
...  

Blood in the urine is a common condition seen in people living around the riverine area which may result from bleeding anywhere along the urinary tract. Schistosomiasis is considered to be the commonest cause of haematuria among the inhabitants of riverine areas. Urinary schistosomiasis affects more than 200 million people worldwide and poses a threat to 600 million in more than 76 countries (WHO, 1993). In Africa alone, about 192 million cases of schistosomiasis have been reported; with Nigeria ranking the highest (15% of cases) followed by the United Republic of Tanzania (about 10% of the cases) and the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana with 7-8% each. A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted among the inhabitants of Kwalkwalawa village in Wamakko local government Sokoto state, Nigeria. Majority of the respondents (81.4%) had passed bloody urine at one time of their life-time, unfortunately only 3.1% of the affected respondents had ever being to Hospital for treatment. Only 5.7% relates hematuria to contact with river water and the Knowledge score of gross hematuria revealed that only 11.4% have good knowledge of the disease. Perceived Social determinants of the disease in the environment include; Farming, Fishing, washing and Bathing in the River as well as fetching for Domestic use. The lack of proper knowledge of the cause of the disease and insufficient safe water supplies coupled with inadequate health care facilities may have influenced the infection rate and distribution of the disease in the area. In conclusion the study was able to find out a high prevalence of hematuria among the inhabitants of this study area, however, there is poor knowledge of the cause of bloody urine. Most of the respondents believed that bloody urine can be cured and prevented, but few relate it to drug treatment.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257562
Author(s):  
Linda Eva Amoah ◽  
Kwame Kumi Asare ◽  
Donu Dickson ◽  
Joana Abankwa ◽  
Abena Busayo ◽  
...  

Introduction The global effort to eradicate malaria requires a drastic measure to terminate relapse from hypnozoites as well as transmission via gametocytes in malaria-endemic areas. Primaquine has been recommended for the treatment of P. falciparum gametocytes and P. vivax hypnozoites, however, its implementation is challenged by the high prevalence of G6PD deficient (G6PDd) genotypes in malaria endemic countries. The objective of this study was to profile G6PDd genotypic variants and correlate them with malaria prevalence in Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional survey of G6PDd genotypic variants was conducted amongst suspected malaria patients attending health care facilities across the entire country. Malaria was diagnosed using microscopy whilst G6PD deficiency was determined using restriction fragment length polymorphisms at position 376 and 202 of the G6PD gene. The results were analysed using GraphPad prism. Results A total of 6108 subjects were enrolled in the study with females representing 65.59% of the population. The overall prevalence of malaria was 36.31%, with malaria prevalence among G6PDd genotypic variants were 0.07% for A-A- homozygous deficient females, 1.31% and 3.03% for AA- and BA- heterozygous deficient females respectively and 2.03% for A- hemizygous deficient males. The odd ratio (OR) for detecting P. falciparum malaria infection in the A-A- genotypic variant was 0.0784 (95% CI: 0.0265–0.2319, p<0.0001). Also, P. malariae and P. ovale parasites frequently were observed in G6PD B variants relative to G6PD A- variants. Conclusion G6PDd genotypic variants, A-A-, AA- and A- protect against P. falciparum, P. ovale and P. malariae infection in Ghana.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Audu Onyemocho ◽  
Agwa Moses ◽  
Aboh Kisani ◽  
Omole Namben Victoria ◽  
Anejo-Okopi Joseph

Objective: Rabies, one of the oldest and fatal infectious diseases known to human race, is transmitted by infected dogs. The global target of zero dog-mediated rabies human deaths has been set for 2030; however, the realization of this goal poses challenges in most low-income countries where rabies is endemic due to weak surveillance. Dogs have been increasingly deployed for domestic uses over the years, especially for security purposes. This study assessed the assessment of knowledge and practice of vaccination of dogs against rabies by dog owners. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community-based study was employed to study 400 dog owners in Makurdi metropolis through multistage sampling techniques. Sighting of valid dog vaccination card was used as criteria for current vaccination. Bivariate analysis was carried out to establish the relationship between the respondent knowledge of rabies and dog vaccination with significant value set at P < 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 31 (Â ± 0.8) years, majority of them had tertiary and secondary education (40.0% and 39.0%, respectively), 26.0% were traders, and 50.0% were married. Overall, 73.0% of the respondents had good knowledge score, 61.0% had seen at least a rabid dog in their life time, and 74.0% have a history of dog vaccination, but evidence of up to date vaccination of dogs by owners was seen in only 18.0% of all the vaccination cards sighted. The relationship between the educational status of the respondents, their knowledge score, and their dog vaccination was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Knowledge of rabies among dog owners in Makurdi was good, but the practice of dog vaccination was poor. Educational status was a good predictor of practice. Awareness campaign on dog vaccination should be strengthened and adequate measures should be put in place at the veterinary hospitals in Makurdi for vaccination of dogs.


Author(s):  
Hashim A. Mahdi ◽  
Hamza M. Assaggaf ◽  
Mohammad Alfelali ◽  
Omar B. Ahmed ◽  
Radi Alsafi ◽  
...  

This study aimed to assess hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and practices of visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque in Al Madinah City, Saudi Arabia. Using a self-administered electronic questionnaire, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among domestic residents, who visited the mosque between 31 July and 3 August 2020. Participants’ demographic data, hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and practices were collected. Four hundred participants aged 18–65 (median 36) years completed the survey, of which 215 (53.8%) were female. The visitors’ mean knowledge score about hand hygiene was 6.4 (± standard deviation (SD) 1.35) of total 12. Most participants (392, 98%) were aware of the role of hand hygiene in preventing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); nevertheless, 384 (96%) said hand hygiene lowers body immunity and 316 (79%) thought <60% alcohol is sufficient for hand disinfection. Males had a higher knowledge score than females (6.46 (±1.41) vs. 6.14 (±1.27), p = 0.02) and, visitors who had no formal education scored higher than those with post-graduate education (6.88 (±1.45) vs 5.73 (±1.12), p = 0.01). Washing hands with soap and water was the predominant method practiced after a meal (365, 91.7%), after toilet visit (354, 88.5%), after touching a surface (262, 65.7%), after waste disposal (332, 83.2%), and when hands were visibly dirty (357, 89.5%). Al Madinah visitors had moderate knowledge about hand hygiene, but demonstrated some knowledge gaps and negligence in practice that are crucial to curb the spread of COVID-19.


2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (12) ◽  
pp. 809-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C Kesselheim ◽  
Julie Najita ◽  
Debra Morley ◽  
Elizabeth Bair ◽  
Steven Joffe

ObjectiveTo evaluate the relationship between recently trained paediatricians' ethics knowledge and exposure to a formal ethics or professionalism curriculum during residency.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of recently trained paediatricians which included a validated 23-item instrument called the Test of Residents' Ethics Knowledge for Pediatrics. The sample included paediatricians who completed medical school in 2006–2008, whose primary specialty was paediatrics or a paediatric subspecialty, and who completed paediatric residency training in 2010–2011. This sample was stratified based on residency programme variables: presence of a formal curriculum in ethics or professionalism, programme size and American Board of Pediatrics certifying exam passage rate. Paediatricians were randomly selected from each stratum for survey participation.ResultsAmong the 370 responding paediatricians (55%), the mean knowledge score was 17.3 (SD 2.2) out of a possible 23. Presence of a formal curriculum in ethics and/or professionalism was not significantly associated with knowledge. Knowledge was lowest on items about parental requests for a child to undergo genetic testing (2 items, 44% and 85% incorrect), preserving patient confidentiality over email (55% incorrect), decision-making regarding life-sustaining technologies (61% incorrect), and decision-making principles such as assent and parental permission (2 items, 47% and 49% incorrect).ConclusionsThis study highlights several areas in which paediatricians' knowledge may be low and that are amenable to targeted educational interventions. These findings should prompt discussion and research among ethicists and educators about how ethics and professionalism curricula can more consistently influence paediatricians' knowledge.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Célestin Ndosimao Nsibu ◽  
Célestin Manianga ◽  
Serge Kapanga ◽  
Esther Mona ◽  
Philippe Pululu ◽  
...  

Background. Antenatal care (ANC) attendance helps pregnant women to benefit from preventive and curative services.Methods. Determinants for ANC attendance were identified through a cross-sectional survey in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sociocultural bottlenecks were assessed via focus groups discussion of married men and women.Results. In this survey, 28 of the 500 interviewed pregnant women (5.6%) did not attend ANC services and 82.4% booked over the first trimester. The first visit is positively influenced by the reproductive age (OR: 0.52, 95% CI(0.28–0.95),p<0.04), the educational level (OR: 0.41,95% CI(0.17–0.97),p<0.04), the nearby health center (OR: 0.43, 95% CI(0.2–0.92),p<0.03), and the presence of a male partner (OR: 10.48, 95% CI(2.1–52.23),p<0.001). The barriers to early booking were (i) the cost of service; (ii) the appearance or individual income; (iii) the geographical inaccessibility or distance to health facilities; (iv) social and religious prohibitions; (v) the stigmatization from other women when conceiving in the late ages or young or while still lactating (parity); (vi) the time for waiting for services.Conclusion. The early ANC attendance is delayed among poor women with little education and living alone.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Hashem Hashempur ◽  
Seyed Hamdollah Mosavat ◽  
Mojtaba Heydari ◽  
Mesbah Shams

Abstract Background Despite growing demand for medicinal plants, there is little data about their use by patients with dyslipidemia. We aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and associated factors for the use of medicinal plants among patients with dyslipidemia. Methods A 17-item semi-structured questionnaire was filled out by 195 patients with dyslipidemia in a cross-sectional study carried out in two academic endocrinology clinics in Shiraz, Iran. The questionnaire comprised of three main domains of demographic data (6 questions), clinical data (2 of them), and data related to the use of medicinal plants (totally 9 questions). Results A total of 77.4% of patients took medicinal plants. The most common medicinal herbs used by dyslipidemic patients were Zataria multiflora, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Zingiber officinale. Duration of dyslipidemia was significantly longer in herbal users than non-herbal users (p=0.04). Patients believing that concomitant use of conventional drugs and herbal preparations had synergic positive effects in addition to those persuaded that herbal preparations possessed less side effects, were significantly more likely to use medicinal plants (p=0.008 and 0.005, respectively). Additionally, most of the medicinal herb users (87.4%) changed neither the pattern nor the dosage of their medications all during herbal preparations use. Conclusions This study demonstrated a high prevalence of medicinal plants’ use among patients with dyslipidemia, which was associated with the duration of dyslipidemia, patients’ viewpoints about herbal preparations’ synergic positive effects, and their fewer side effects.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. e051277
Author(s):  
Jinghan Qu ◽  
Wei Zuo ◽  
Shaohong Wang ◽  
Liping Du ◽  
Xin Liu ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions and practices towards generic substitution in the 11 pilot locations in China.DesignAn online cross-sectional survey using questionnaires was conducted. A convenience sampling technique was implemented to recruit pharmacists.Setting and participantsThe study took place in medical institutions of 11 pilot locations that participated in the pilot national centralised procurement programme in 2019. Two thousand two hundred and ninety-one pharmacists including hospital pharmacists or community pharmacists based on health-systems or clinics participated in the study.ResultsMost of the participants had the good knowledge of requirements for evaluating the quality and efficacy of generic drugs (n=2118; 92.4%), and the definition of generic drugs (n=2078; 90.7%). In terms of perceptions, 67.3% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are equally as effective as the brand-name drugs, and 69.0% of respondents were of the opinion that generic drugs are as safe as brand equivalents. A high percentage of participants supported the policy of generic substitution (n=1634; 71.4%). A significant positive correlation was demonstrated between total knowledge score and total perception score (ρ=0.267; p<0.001). Efficacy, safety and the direction of national policies and hospital regulations were the main factors affecting pharmacists’ willingness to dispense generic drugs.ConclusionsThe study identified gaps in respondents’ knowledge and perceptions of generic substitution. Pharmacists who are more knowledgeable in generic drugs tend to hold a more supportive attitude towards generic substitution. Although it appeared that pharmacists in China have largely accepted generic substitution, they still have concerns regarding the reliability and quality of generic drugs. The current issues need to be addressed for the realisation of the true value of generic drugs as part of the country’s healthcare cost-containment strategy as well as the implementation of generic substitution policy in China.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nur-E- Alam ◽  
Md Shariful Islam ◽  
Umme Suriea ◽  
Ramisa Binti Mohiuddin ◽  
Md. Muzahidul Islam ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Thalassemia is one of the most common life-threatening yet preventable congenital hemoglobin disorders especially in South Asian regions like Bangladesh. It has become a rising public health concern for Bangladesh as 6-12% of the population are carriers and many of them are unaware of it. The purpose of the study is to inspect the knowledge and attitude towards thalassemia among the general people of Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in eight administrative regions of Bangladesh between January and October of 2020. A self-administrative close-ended questionnaire was designed to collect information about thalassemia and socio-demographic characteristics. Pearson’s chi-square (χ2) test and One-way ANOVA were performed to assess the association between the demographic variables with knowledge and practice regarding thalassemia. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.Results: Of the 1623 participants, only 44.7% (726/1623) had heard of thalassemia. The mean knowledge of thalassemia was scored 4.75 ± 2.05 out of a total possible score of 10. Half of the participants had no idea that thalassemia was not a transfusion transmitted disease. About 73.1% knew that blood tests are a diagnosis process to determine thalassemia. The urban residing participants had the highest (5.10 ± 1.99) and participants with primary education had the lowest (3.38 ± 1.37) mean score of knowledge. Participants' knowledge score varied significantly by marital status, living pace, literacy and occupation (p< 0.05). However, about 68.2% and 85.5% of the participants showed a positive attitude towards premarital screening of themselves or their family members and donating blood to thalassemia patients, respectively. Conclusion: The study shows that there is a need to disseminate the information on thalassemia since the knowledge gap is huge among people. These findings will assist the implementation of significant steps such as educational programs, health counseling, premarital screening, campaigning, etc. to increase the awareness of thalassemia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arumuganainar Suresh ◽  
Rocktotpal Konwarh ◽  
Anand Pratap Singh ◽  
Anand Krishna Tiwari

Abstract The context-specific, complex issue of ‘vaccine hesitancy’ is explicated in terms of delay or refusal of vaccination despite the availability of vaccine services. Although eleven million beneficiaries were administered the COVID-19 vaccine in India from 16th January 2021 till 20th February 2021, however, proportionately a low turnout has been registered in various parts of the country, possibly attributable to hesitance/apprehension towards the current vaccination. In this backdrop, we report the response (collected between Feb 1, 2021 and Feb 15, 2021) of 358 voluntary respondents who participated in an online questionnaire-based pan-India survey, executed to assess their knowledge and acceptance towards the current COVID-19 vaccination program in its first phase. The survey questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics of the respondents and queries pertaining to knowledge (7 items) and acceptance (3 items). The overall correct rate and the average knowledge score of the participants were 78 % and 5.46 ± 1.4/7 respectively. The acceptance score was 3.50 ± 1.6/5 while 70 % of participants agreed against the 20 % of respondents who neither agreed nor disagreed to take the vaccine. Around 66 % believed that the vaccines, currently being administered in India are safe. Fear about possible side effects (44 %) and inadequacy of comprehensive clinical trial data (29 %), seemed to be the major players in fortifying the vaccine hesitancy among the respondents, exhibiting negative acceptance. Although maximum respondents demonstrated a good level of knowledge (82%) and acceptance (88%), significant differences were observed among some demographic variables. In general, a positive correlation was observed between knowledge and acceptance against a negative correlation, observed in specific provinces. Despite the good acceptance and knowledge, a considerable fraction of the participants (30%) expressed hesitancy. Counselling, mobilization, and feedback from vaccinated individuals about safety should be encouraged. However, due to the limited sample size, we must be cautious when generalizing these findings. Nevertheless, the major elucidations of this study may be utilized in planning vaccination campaigns in further phases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akash John ◽  
Muhammad Saleem Rana ◽  
Asif Hanif ◽  
Tallat Anwar Faridi ◽  
Sofia Noor ◽  
...  

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a subgroup of retrovirus causing HIV infection which if prolongs turns into a progressive failure of the immune system called as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. It is commonly prevalent in Male Transgenders who are born male and disobeys the cultural defined social norms and identify themselves as a female. The objective was to assess knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Transgender Community regarding Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Lahore, Pakistan. A Descriptive Cross-sectional Survey was conducted in Nine Towns of Lahore. A sample size of 79 was calculated and data was collected in duration of 9 months. A self-administered survey-based questionnaire was developed using WHO and National AIDS control Programme guidelines followed and pilot tested. Data was collected after Informed consent.The mean age of Respondents was 29.56 ± 8.27 years with minimum and maximum age as 19 and 50. In this study the mean knowledge score of the transgender about HIV Transmission was 2.804±0.32, the mean score of attitudes of transgender were 3.25±0.19 and the mean practice score was 2.931±0.28.Majority of the transgender have insufficient knowledge, and bad attitude towards their health. They have unsafe sexual practice and Drug Interventions playing a significant role in HIV epidemic. Majority of them are uneducated, unemployed and found sex selling and dancing an easiest way of earning. Their knowledge about HIV screening, transmission, and antiretroviral therapy is low.


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