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Malignancies are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- infected patients. With the introduction of an effective combination of antiretroviral therapy, HIV infection has been changed from being a death sentence to a chronic condition. There is renewed clinical interest in the associated morbidities of non-communicable diseases, and most importantly cancers, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, due to prolonged survival on antiretrovirals. Available evidence suggests that there is an increasing frequency of cancers associated with bacterial and viral infections among the HIV-infected population. There is also a concern about the etiology of emergence of cancers, risk factors, and viral infections in HIV-infected individuals. The challenge is for the caregivers to develop and implement effective means to screen, treat, and prevent non-AIDS defining cancers (NADCs) in the HIV-infected patients. There is a need for provision of hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus vaccines for those who are uninfected and the eligible population. Emphasis should be on these non-AIDS defining cancers during health education, in order to create awareness of the morbidity that may encourage screening uptake, thus resulting in healthy living and reduced mortality rates. This brief review aimed to bring to fore the account of NADCs, risk factors, the role of the microbiota, diagnostic methods, and the need for urgent screening and prevention among people living with HIV/AIDS.

Lassa fever (LF) is an important public health disease in West Africa, where it is endemic. The early phase of the disease is characterised by non-specific symptoms mimicking malaria and other common febrile illnesses. Neuro-psychiatric symptoms are not commonly reported and psychiatrists are not usually part of the management team. Surviving Lassa fever patients with psychiatric symptoms tend to have long hospital stays. The study is aimed at describing the pattern of neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with probable or confirmed Lassa fever at the 161 Nigerian Air force Hospital (NAF), Makurdi. Neuropsychiatric symptoms were common in patients with probable or confirmed Lassa fever. Delirium, low mood, and convulsions were common in the series. There is a need for more research on the psychiatric aspects of Lassa fever and the involvement of psychiatrists in treatment could improve the outcomes of patients with Lassa fever.

Background: Young people constitute 16% of the global population and in Benue State Nigeria, majority of them take alcohol which is one of the identified drivers of high risk sexual behaviours. However, intervention strategies at the pubs where alcoholic beverages are sold remain peripheral. This study assessed the sexual risk taking behaviours among young people who patronized alcoholic beverage selling outlets in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study using interviewer administered questionnaire was conducted among 273 young people sampled from 4 night clubs and 28 bars. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between alcohol use and risky sexual practices with statistical significance set at p =0.05Results: Seventy-four percent of the respondents had history of sexual intercourse with mean age of 18.2 (±3.0) years at sexual debut. Ninety eight (48.5%) had sexual intercourse within a week prior to the study, 73.8% took alcohol before the last sexual intercourse and the practice corroborates a cycle of sexual risk behaviour which include: heterosexual (100%), one-night stand (62.2%), sex without condoms (48.0%), oral sex (42.6%), sex in exchange for money (32.7%), anal sex (26.5%) and group sex (9.2%). Those who take alcohol are 8.5 times at higher risk of engaging in anal sex {(OR- 8.464) (95% CI = 2.919 – 24.53) (p= 0.0433)}.Conclusion: Policymakers working on risk taking behaviour intervention should consider night clubs and other drinking establishments in order to mitigate the effects of diseases transmitted through high risk sexual behavior among young people.

Introduction: Adolescents are vulnerable to many sexual and reproductive health challenges. Sexuality education at home has been identified as a primary source of reliable sexuality education for adolescents. This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of and factors associated with mothers-adolescent sexuality communication in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. Method: The study was a community based cross-sectional study design conducted among randomly selected 377 consenting mothers of adolescents in Makurdi, Nigeria. Data collection was done using structured, interviewer administered questionnaires and analysis was done using SPSS version 23. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with motheradolescent communication in sexuality. Results: Majority of the respondents, 256 (94.4%) believed sex education is important and 354 (93.9%) support its introduction into the school curriculum. 324 (85.9%) had sexuality education with their adolescents. Most of the mother-adolescent discussions were initiated by the mothers (75.9%), 6.4% were by the child and 3.7% by the fathers and mostly on discussions were on abstinence (76.6%). Factors associated with more likelihood of having mother-adolescent communication in sexuality were older age, 5.5 (2.46-12.24) and educational status, 3.1 (1.51-6.61) while polygamous family setting, 0.18 (0.05-0.43) and lack of previous discussion in sexuality with their own mothers, 0.3 (0.13-0.51) were less likely to communicate with their adolescents on sexuality. Discussion: A relatively high proportion of the respondents had good perception and have had communicated with their adolescents on sexual and reproductive health issues, which may be attributable to high educational attainment of our respondents. Conclusion: Majority of the mothers communicate with their adolescent children on sexuality related issues. Most of the discussions were on abstinence. Factors associated with communication with adolescent children were age of respondents, educational attainment, family type and whether the respondents had sexuality education with their own parents were less likely to do so. The knowledge and skills of parents should be built up to improve the contents of mother-adolescent discussion on sexuality.

Objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global public health problem, even though its prevalence is disproportionately high in resource-limited countries, it is still under-reported. Mother-to-child transmission is a major route of HBV transmission in an endemic region like sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the prevalence of HBV infection and the effect of service charge on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) disease notification among pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic at General Hospital, Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study with convenient sampling techniques were used for all pregnant women enrolled for antenatal care (ANC) within the reviewed period. Chi-square (χ2) test was used for the test of association between the independent variable and the main outcome of the study, with statistical significance set at P = 5%. Results: Of the total 1144 cases reviewed, 843 (73.7%) were tested for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 301 (26.3%) were tested for HBsAg. The test for HIV was free while that of HBsAg was done out of pocket expenses. The majority of the women were between 25 and 30 years with a mean age of 25 ± 9.54 years. The seropositive rate for HIV was 2.4% (n = 20) while that of HBsAg was 5.6% (n = 17). The relationship between underreporting of positive and negative cases of HBsAg and service charges was statistically significant (P < 0.005). Conclusion: To achieve the global goal of elimination of HBV and, or reducing the prevalence of HBsAg in general population, the free opt-in screening just like in the case of HIV must be adopted for all pregnant women accessing ANC in public health facilities. This will inform both prevention, control, and antiviral management intervention strategies.

Background: Male sexual or coital difficulties are among the factors contributing to infertility in couples seeking fertility as this may result in low coital frequency. Coital or sexual difficulties may be due to poor sexual knowledge or attitudes, poor self-esteem, emotional difficulties or sexual abuse. Aims/Objectives: To evaluate the causes of male sexual or coital difficulties among couples attending the infertility clinic at BSUTH, Makurdi over a 2 year period. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study involving all males attending the infertility clinic at Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) who consent to participate in the study. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered and analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (version 23.0) and the results were presented in simple proportions. Results: There were several factors responsible for male coital difficulties. The most common was male erectile dysfunction 33 (32.4%), vaginismus 11 (10.8%), penile pain 14 (13.7%), poor response from the female partner 8 (7.8%) and severe dyspareunia 18 (17.1%). Conclusion: Coital difficulties resulting to low frequency of sexual exposure constitutes a major cause of infertility among males attending the infertility clinic at BSUTH, Makurdi. Therefore efforts should be made to evaluate these factors while assessing infertility couples in order to mitigate the effect.

The Nigeria national reproductive health policy that was put in place to control maternal mortality is yet to achieve its desired effects as it is been hampered by the activities of traditional birth attendants in most communities. This study assessed the correlates of patronage of traditional birth attendants among women of reproductive age group in three rural communities of Apa local Government area of Benue State, Nigeria. A community-based cross sectional study design was employed to study 456 women in the settlements via a multistage sampling technique. Structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess the independent variables that had significant chi-square at p

Background: Most researches on the correlate of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcomes place emphasis on sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, Human Immunodeficiency Virus status and CD4+ count of patients and nutrition among others. This study assessed the effect of delay in commencement of anti-TB regimen on the treatment outcomes of all Tuberculosis patients treated between 2011 and 2014 in three directly observed treatment short course centres in Benue State, Nigeria. Methodology: A retrospective cohort study with convenient sampling technique was used for all registered Tuberculosis patients enrolled for treatment within the reviewed period. Chi-square (χ2) test was used for test of association between the independent variables and the main outcomes of the study, with statistical significance set at p-value of 5%. Results: Of the total 1711 cases reviewed, the males to females ratio was 3.9:1. The mean age for the males’ patients was 39.0 ± 15.3 years and the females 33.7 ± 14.2 years. Majority of the patients were new pulmonary Tuberculosis cases and they commenced their treatment after 3 weeks of diagnosis. Higher failure and death rate were reported amongst the patients who commenced their treatment late (78.7% and 42.5% respectively). The relationship between the treatment outcome and the time of commencement of anti-TB drug regimen was statistically significant (p < 0.005). Conclusions: Commencement of anti-TB drugs in all diagnosed Tuberculosis patients is an important correlate that must be addressed in order to achieve the global goal of reducing Tuberculosis prevalence to the level at which it will no longer constitute a public health problem in Nigeria.

Background: Male sexual or coital difficulties are among the factors contributing to infertility in couples seeking fertility as this may result in low coital frequency. Aims/Objectives: To evaluate the causes of male sexual or coital difficulties among couples attending the infertility clinic at BSUTH, Makurdi over a 2 year period. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study involving all males attending the infertility clinic at Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) who consent to participate in the study. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered and analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (version 23.0) and the results were presented in simple proportions. Results: There were several factors responsible for male coital difficulties. The most common was male erectile dysfunction 33 (32.4%), vaginismus 11 (10.8%), penile pain 14 (13.7%), poor response from the female partner 8 (7.8%) and severe dyspareunia 18 (17.1%). Conclusion: Coital difficulties resulting to low frequency of sexual exposure constitutes a major cause of infertility among males attending the infertility clinic at BSUTH, Makurdi. Therefore efforts should be made to evaluate these factors while assessing infertility couples in order to mitigate the effect.

Introduction : in 2014, 52 new technology solar direct-drive (SDD) refrigerators were supplied to Benue State government. Fifty of them along with 24 traditional battery-powered solar refrigerators were installed at the same time to boost immunization activities. We evaluated these two sets of equipment to ascertain their suitability and performance in cold chain maintenance after two years of installation. Methods : we carried out a cross-sectional study on 50 SDD, and 24 battery-powered solar refrigerators using structured questionnaire and reviewed temperature charts. Two SDD were excluded. We determine the mean, standard deviation and analysis of variance (ANOVA) of temperatures of functional refrigerators. We conducted focused group discussion with key stakeholders. Data was analyzed using Excel and Epi Info 7.2. Results : of the 72 solar refrigerators, 51 (71%) were functional and 21 (29%) non-functional. Of the 51 functional refrigerators, 48 (94%) were SDD and only 3 (6%) battery-powered. All the non-functional ones were the battery-powered. Commonest challenge was battery related affecting 12 (57%). One (2%) of the 48 SDD developed partial fault with the freezer compartment. Only one (4%) of the 24 battery-powered refrigerators while 47 (98%) of the SDD did not develop any fault since installation. Simple maintenance was practiced at 100%. Acceptance of SDD was 100% over battery-powered refrigerators by stakeholders. The on-the-spot temperature range was 4-70C, highest temperature frequency of 34 (66.67%) was 5.0 0C. The mean, median and mode were 5.0 0C; variance was 0.36 while standard deviation was 0.6. When the on-the-spot temperature was cross-tabulated with type of refrigerator, the ANOVA p-Value of 0.1 failed to reject null hypothesis. A review from six SDD refrigerators showed no seasonal temperature variation but mean temperatures ranging 2.7 - 5.9 0C with significant single factor ANOVA (F calculated 67.2, F critical 2.3).

Abdominal pregnancies are rare; however, they are still frequently missed pre-operatively. This presents diagnostic and treatment dilemma especially in resource-constrained settings where CT-scan and MRI are not readily available for accurate diagnosis. Fi...

Background: The United Nations in her quest for the humane treatment of all human beings, had created and adopted a number of International legal instruments to protect and guarantee human rights to all persons including those who are incarcerated in the prisons. However, the application of these instruments in practice falls short of prescribed standards in many prisons and reformation centers in Nigeria. This study empirically assessed the prison inmate's perception of living conditions in Makurdi Medium Security Prisons, North-Central Nigeria.Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out on 132 inmates, selected by simple random sampling technique. Data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.0 and presented as tables.Results: The mean age of the respondents was 25.±6.5 years. The male inmates formed the majority with ratio of 17.6:1. The mean duration of stay in prison custody was 3.2±2.6 years with culpable homicide being the commonest reason for imprisonment in 31.1% of cases. The majority of inmates were not satisfied with the quality and quantity of food provided for them (90.9% and 94.7% respectively), where they sleep (87.9%), water they drink (60.6%), methods of refuse and sewage disposal (81.1%), recreational facilities (80.3%) and the nature of the health care services provided (80.3%).Conclusion: The inmates perceive that the standard of living was generally below the minimum international standards. Hence it is recommended that Nigerian prison service should implement relevant policies aimed at improving the living standard of inmates in Nigeria prisons.Keywords: Perception, Living Conditions, Inmates, Prison, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: cryptosporidium is an important cause of diarrhea in children and immune-compromised individuals. Recent advances in molecular diagnostics have led to the discovery of subtype families that are thought to be more commonly associated with diarrhea. We aimed to isolate and characterize cryptosporidium spp among children with diarrhea in Jos, Nigeria. METHODS: stools samples were collected from165 children aged 0-5 years with diarrhea. Cryptosporidium oocysts were examined by wet mount preparation, using formalin ether and a modified acid fast staining method. DNA was extracted from positive samples using QIAamp DNA stool mini kit and PCR-RFLP assay was carried out after quantification. Genotyping and phylogenetic analysis were done to determine the subtype families and their relatedness. RESULTS: from the 165 children studied, 8 (4.8%) were infected with Cryptosporidium. PCR-RFLP assay and genotype characterization found the following Cryptosporidium species: C. hominis 6 (75%) and C. parvum 2 (25.0%), with family subtypes Id-5, Ie-1 and IIa-1, IId-1 respectively.The most common species was C. hominis and the frequent subtype was C. hominis-Id 5 (62.5%). CONCLUSION: cryptosporidium is not an uncommon cause of diarrhea in children, with C. hominis being the dominant species. Also C. hominis Id is the commonest sub-family subtype. Put together, zoonotic species may be an important cause of diarrhea in children aged 0-5 years in Jos, Nigeria.

Household expenditure on health has increasingly remained a major source of health care financing in Nigeria despite the introduction of several social health scheme policies provided by the government for meeting the health care costs of patients. Recognizing these limitations, this study assessed the type of health care services people commonly use in various illnesses and the sociodemographic correlates of the preferred health care services by household heads in six rural communities of North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional community-based descriptive study design was used to study 154 household heads in the settlements using a multistage sampling method. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to investigate independent predictors that had significant chi-square atP<0.05. The leading causes of illness experienced by respondents were medical conditions (42.0%) and 41.7% of them sought treatment from patent medicine vendors. The dominant reasons for health-seeking preferences were financial access (53.7%) and proximity (48.6%). Age had a higher impact (Beta = 0.892) on the health-seeking preferences of the respondents as compared to their occupation and religion (Beta = 0.368 and −0.746, resp.). Therefore, in order to meet the health care of patients, it is pertinent that the unmet needs of patients are properly addressed by appropriate agencies.

Background: Among many recognized factors, the role of health workers remains crucial in influencing the effective running of the referral system. A paucity of information in this area exists in many developing countries. Objectives: This study sought to probe for such information toward improving the quality of the referral process and the health system at large. Materials and Methods: Using structured, open-ended, self-administered questionnaires, data were collected from 114 respondents, randomly selected across four tertiary health facilities. Results: Knowledge and understanding of referral was high (93.8-100%) among respondents. However, attitudes and perceptions expressed regarding diverse aspects of referral such as referral tools, indications for referral, recordkeeping, and practicalities were relatively average. Only 21.9% were aware of standard referral forms; about 20% thought that referral should be at the request of patients. About 65.8% expressed diverse challenges encountered with referrals; and 64.9% support the rejection of certain cases referrals. Conclusion: The advocacy for reforms in the referral system with regards to the training of health workers; the implementation of referral policies, guidelines and structured, standardized forms is recommended.

Background: Salmonella serovars are one of the most common food-borne pathogens, and poultry consumption is responsible for the majority of routes of infection worldwide. There is a paucity of documented data regarding the prevalence of virulence determinant genes in Salmonella serovars in Nigeria. The aim of the study was to isolate Salmonella spp. in selected poultry farms in Jos Metropolis, Plateau State, Nigeria. Methodology: A total of eighty samples were conveniently collected from 18 commercial poultry. The samples were from poultry droppings, egg shells, workers' hands, and feeds. The samples were examined for the presence of Salmonella by standard microbiological techniques. The isolates were phenotypically confirmed using biochemical characterization and virulence gene determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The overall isolation percentage of Salmonella species was 28.75% (23/80). DNA extraction was carried out on the isolated 23 Salmonella isolates and 11 successfully quantified. Of the 11 isolates, ten (91.0%) successfully amplified using the invA gene-specific primers by PCR method. The result indicates the presence of Salmonella in poultry farms, and this posed a major concern for public health. Conclusion: The result showed that the use of PCR amplification of virulence genes in suspected Salmonella spp. from poultry farms proved to be efficient and could serve as an alternative rapid tool for the detection of Salmonella spp. Further large studies with the use of more virulence genes are needed to understand the Salmonella epidemiology in poultry farms that serves as a major protein source of the nation.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing of pregnant women and their partners is an important step in access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) services; pregnant women are at a high risk of seroconversion, which is associated with a high rate of MTCT. Repeat HIV testing in late pregnancy or in labor is worthwhile in areas with high HIV prevalence. This study aimed at determining HIV prevalence and seroconversion in a cohort of antenatal attendees at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study involving 432 cohorts of antenatal attendees. The HIV status of these women were determined at booking using rapid HIV kits: Determine ½, Stat-Pak, and Unigold Recombigen. Repeat testing was performed during labor among women who were HIV negative at booking to determine the seroconversion rate. Results: Overall HIV prevalence among this cohort of women was 8.6%. The seroconversion rate during labor was 2.5% among women who were seronegative at booking. Majority of the participants were young (modal age = 26–29 years, 36%), belonged to middle class (60.9%) and upper class (17.6%), and had secondary (50.0%) or tertiary education (38.0%). Conclusion: HIV prevalence and seroconversion rates are rather high. There is need for more aggressive PMTCT awareness advocacy and intervention to reduce the incidence of pediatric acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in our setting. Further studies to differentiate seroconversion from new infections in pregnancy are worthwhile PMTCT strategies.

Background: Patients or their relations usually seek the opinion of hospital staff after self-treatment, patent medical vendors' prescriptions or other first line treatment has failed. It is therefore, critical for them to have a fair idea of the role of different cadre of eye care providers to enable them offer appropriate help and referral. This study assessed the perception of senior hospital workers on the Role of Eye Care Providers in Zaria. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a stratified sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was administered to each of 428 hospital staff in Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Shika-Zaria in July, 2013. The results were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical package. Results: The study population (428) comprised of 177 nurses, 108 doctors, 85 administrative staff, 37 laboratory scientists, 10 pharmacists, and 11 health information officers. The male:female ratio was 1.2:1 while the age range was 20-59 years with a mean age of 33 ± 5.7 years. Three hundred and thirty-seven (78.7%) of the respondents were familiar with the role of the ophthalmologist and 309 (72.2%) with that of the ophthalmic nurse. About half of the respondents were familiar with the role of the other cadre of eye care providers: 222 (51.9%) understood the role of a Community Health Officer, 215 (50.2%) understood that of the optometrist and 214 (50.0%) understood the role of the optician. Conclusion: Senior hospital workers were quite familiar with the role of an ophthalmologist and an ophthalmic nurse, but they need to be educated more about the role of the other cadre of eye care providers.