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The village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus) is a common colonial nesting bird widespread throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. It is known to weave its nests from leaf strips from a variety of tree species (mainly coconuts trees, oil palm trees) associated with human settlement areas, grasses, and other available plants. In this regard, this bird was considered a pest for its impact on different economic activities. Although extensive literature is already available on the parasitic role of village weavers, there is still a lack of analytical data that outlines which tree species are used for nesting and in what proportion, as well as the related implications in terms of economic impacts. Here, we carried out the first comprehensive arrangement of trees used by this species for nesting in Southern Nigeria (West Africa), checking for possible different impacts on stakeholders. In April 2021, we searched for village weaver nesting in 95 sites in 77 communities from 24 local government areas in Southern Nigeria, during 14 field surveys. Within each site, we collected GPS coordinates and counted the number of active nests, nesting birds and occupied trees. We recorded a total of 5,776 nests and 2,140 birds in 94 plants belonging to 23 tree species selected for nesting. Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis; n = 45) was the most used tree species, as 2,990 (51.77%) nests and 873 (40.79%) birds were recorded. Our results indicate the preference for nesting on trees used by stakeholders belonging to agricultural (palm farmers), touristic (operators) and energy (gas flare stations) sectors with economic implications about the conflict with this pest species.

Introduction: the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the levels of unmet need (UMN) for family planning (FP). A pulse survey showed that FP services were interrupted during the lockdown in 68% of countries. There is a need to investigate the demand gap for FP among women in the postpartum period. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of UMN of FP among women in the extended postpartum period attending immunization clinics. Methods: this was a facility-based cross-sectional study among 485 women recruited from 5 health facilities using a random sampling technique and proportional to size allocation. Data was collected using an interviewer-structured questionnaire. Analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 26. Adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were computed. The level of significance was 5%. Results: the total unmet need was 45.4% (95% CI: 40.2--50.7) with a higher need for child spacing (60.4%) compared to limiting pregnancies (39.6%). The mean age was 30.3 ± 6.1 years. The significant predictors included age [35-39 years (aOR=5.39, 95% CI: 1.61-18.06); ≥ 40 years (aOR= 32.48, 95% CI: 6.48-162.77)], lower education status (aOR= 5.21, 95% CI: 2.09-13.01), lower income (aOR =2.21, 95% CI: 1.10-4.46), rural residence (aOR= 4.27, 95% CI: 2.15-8.47), denomination [Pentecostal (aOR= 4.09, 95% CI: 1.77-9.43); Orthodox (aOR= 5.44, 95% CI: 2.03-14.58)] and poor knowledge of postpartum FP (PPFP) (aOR= 33.93, 95% CI: 13.21-87.12). The commonest reason for FP non-use was fear of side effects. Conclusion: close to half of the women in the extended postpartum period experienced UMN for PPFP. Policymakers should consider these factors when designing FP interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify and compare the health service-related factors associated with male involvement in family planning services among the rural and urban areas in Abia State, Nigeria. Design: A community-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Twelve communities (six urban and six rural) in Abia State, Nigeria Participants: Five hundred and eighty-eight (588) men aged 15-59 years and resident in the study area 6 months before the study were recruited. Main outcome measure: Male involvement in family planning services Results: The mean ages of the respondents were 41.8±8.0 years and 43.1±8.0 years in the urban and rural areas, respectively. Active male involvement in family planning services was significantly higher in urban areas (62.6%, 95%CI: 56.8%-68.1%) compared to the rural areas (47.6%, 95%CI: 41.5%-53.2%. p<0.001). The predictors of male involvement included gender preference of healthcare workers (aOR=1.75, 95%CI:1.01-3.03) and attitude of the healthcare workers (aOR=2.07, 95%CI:1.17-3.67) among the urban participants, compared to occupational status of the respondents (aOR=2.50, 95% CI: 1.16-5.56) and the availability of male-friendly clinics (aOR=2.27, 95%CI:1.25-4.15) among the rural participants. Conclusion: Health service-related factors associated with male involvement varied between the urban and rural settings. Stakeholders should target addressing health service-related factors by types of settlement while designing family planning programs targeting men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: healthcare workers are at higher risk of COVID-19 infection with ease of infection transmissibility to coworkers and patients. Vaccine hesitancy rates of 56% and up to 25% have been reported among healthcare workers in US and China respectively. Vaccination is known as the most effective strategy to combat infectious diseases. Acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine plays a major role in combating the pandemic. This study assessed the sociodemographic factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers in Abia State. Methods: a cross-sectional study among 422 healthcare workers was conducted in Abia State with an online-based questionnaire. The questionnaire extracted information on socio-demographics and willingness to take vaccine uptake. Descriptive statistics was used to calculate frequencies and proportions. Bivariate analysis was used to test the association between the socio-demographic factors and the outcome variable (vaccine hesitancy). Logistic regression was conducted to identify the predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The level of significance was 5%. Results: mean age of the respondents was 40.6 ± 9.5 years and 67.1% were females The COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy rate was 50.5% (95%CI: 45.6%-55.3%). Socio-demographic factors included age, marital status, location of practice, profession, and income. Vaccine Hesitancy was predicted significantly by younger age (aOR=9.34, 95%CI:2.01-43.39), marital status (single) (aOR=4.97, 95%CI:1.46-16.97), lower income (aOR=2.84, 95%CI:1.32-6.08), and profession - Doctor (aOR=0.28, 95%CI:0.11-0.70), Nurse (aOR=0.31, 95%CI:0.15-0.64) and other allied health professionals (aOR=0.22, 95%CI:0.10-0.44). Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was high among healthcare workers. Significant sociodemographic predictors influence the uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. We recommend that the Federal and State Ministries of Health conduct awareness campaigns targeting the younger age group, singles, lower income class, and non-clinical staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases (VPDs) are major causes of morbidity/mortality among children under 5 years of age worldwide and in Nigeria/Ebonyi state. Routine childhood immunisation is an invaluable prevention strategy for many VPDs. Due to suboptimal coverage and untimely receipt/delay in receipt of vaccinations, outbreaks of VPDs such as measles, yellow fever, diphtheria and others continue to reoccur around the world and in Nigeria/Ebonyi state. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of hybrid parents and health workers adaptive intervention in increasing the optimal/timely (cumulative age-appropriate) routine childhood immunisation coverage in the communities in Ebonyi state, Nigeria., Methods and Analyses: A two-arm, parallel, open label, covariate-constrained cluster-randomised controlled trial with 1:1 allocation of 16 geographical clusters (the nearest catchment areas for at least one public primary healthcare (PHC) facility with at least 500 households or a population size of 3000) will be used to evaluate the effects of hybrid/combined parents and PHC workers adaptive engagement compared with control. The primary outcomes are the optimal/timely (cumulative age-appropriate) receipt of the recommended vaccines in the routine childhood immunisation schedule by children aged 5-9 completed months and 10-11 completed months and the age-appropriate vaccines receipt score for the recommended vaccines. The outcomes will be measured through a population-based household survey of at least 15 children aged 5-9 and 10-11 months per cluster at baseline and at the end of the study using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire in KoBoCollect installed in android devices. All analyses will be done using a cluster-level method on as-randomised basis., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval for the trial was obtained from the Ebonyi State Health Research and Ethics Committee (EBSHREC/01/06/2022-31/05/2023) and verbal consent will be obtained from participants. Study findings will be reported at local/national and international levels as appropriate., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN59811905., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: Health workers are at particular risk of contracting the COVID-19. However, non-acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination has been a noticeable challenge the world over and in Nigeria where supply constraints have also been an issue. We evaluated COVID-19 vaccination acceptance (the uptake, hesitancy, intention to receive and timeliness of the intention to receive) and the determinants, and the predictive power of acceptance factor compared with availability/access factor, among health workers in Ebonyi state., Methods: We conducted an online-offline survey, between 12 March 2022 and 9 May 2022, among all consenting health workers (clinical/non-clinical, public/private) working/living in Ebonyi state and who were selected by convenience and snowballing techniques. Data were collected using structured self-administered questionnaire distributed via WhatsApp and interviewer-administered questionnaire in KoBoCollect installed in android devices. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and generalised linear models., Results: 1276 health workers were surveyed. Uptake was 68.2% vaccinated, 47.4% fully vaccinated and 20.9% partially vaccinated. Hesitancy was 22.6% or 71.2% among the unvaccinated (76.3% of hesitancy due to refusal and 23.7% to delay). Intention to receive was 36.0% of which 55.1% gave the intended time (days) to receive with a median (IQR) of 30 days (7-133). The strongest and most important predictor of COVID-19 vaccination acceptance was COVID-19 vaccination expectations and perceptions. Other important predictors were COVID-19/COVID-19 vaccination process experiences and perceptions. Acceptance factor was a stronger predictor compared with availability/access factor., Conclusion: The slow pace of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among the health workers in Ebonyi state/Nigeria may encounter a bottle-neck due to the high refusal rate among the unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccination policy interventions in Nigeria and other similar settings should, in addition to sustaining availability and access, prioritise improvement of COVID-19 vaccination expectations and perceptions (regarding importance/safety/effectiveness) and COVID-19 risk communication among the health workers., Trial Registration Number: ISRCTN16735844., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence and pattern of reported facility-based disrespect and abuse of women during labour in Abia State, South-East, Nigeria., Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study., Setting: One urban and one rural healthcare facility in Abia State- Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia and Nigerian Christian Hospital (NCH) Nlagu, respectively., Participants: A total of 312 women who were recently delivered of their babies in the two facilities in Abia State and attending postnatal clinics were sampled for the survey., Main Outcome Measure: Disrespect and abuse D&A) during labour among women who give birth in healthcare facilities in Abia State., Result: In all, over half (54.5%) of the women experienced disrespect and abuse in Abia State (50% urban and 63.5% in rural areas). The commonest form of disrespect and abuse was non-confidential care (22.9%). The commonest disrespectful and abusive care received was lack of privacy in the labour ward (18.3%)., Conclusion: The study recorded a high prevalence of reported facility-based disrespect and abuse of women during delivery in Abia State. Training and re-training healthcare providers to promote respectful care, advocacy to policy makers and healthcare stakeholders on the development of respectful maternal care policies and further research in the area are needed., Funding: No funding was obtained for this study., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None declared, (Copyright © The Author(s).)

Greater cane rats (Thryonomys swinderianus) are important sources of bushmeat in southern Nigeria. Here, we collected and examined intestinal helminth parasites of these rats sold at Omagwa bushmeat market, Rivers State, Nigeria. Twelve intestinal tracts of T. swinderianus were purchased from December, 2020 to February, 2021, and transported to the laboratory for examination. Each sample was incised and its contents examined in 0.9% normal saline solution. Parasites encountered were washed in same solution, fixed in 70% ethanol and subsequently identified using taxonomical keys. Prevalence of infection was computed using standard formula for computing parasite ecological parameters. Four parasitic nematodes were isolated. Oesophagostomum venulosum and Strongylus sp. infected six hosts each accounting for a prevalence of 50.0%. Mean intensity of infection was about 12 parasites/infected host for O. venulosum and about 7 parasites/infected host for Strongylus sp. Trichuris paravispicularis had a prevalence of 33.3% and mean intensity of about two parasites/infected host, while Toxocara vitulorum was recovered as a single individual from one host at a prevalence of 8.3%. We conclude that T. swinderianus serves as host to intestinal nematode parasites, and recommend full parasitological investigation of the animal, where possible, to isolate and identify other helminth parasites not reported in the present research.