Knowledge of Zika Virus Disease Prevention Methods, among Female Caregivers That Bring Babies for Immunization in a Teaching Hospital, Southeast Nigeria

Zika virus disease is a disease of public health importance and was declared a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”, by the World Health Organization on February 1, 2016. It is mostly transmitted through the bite of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitos. Transmission can also occur through blood transfusion and sexual intercourse. It could cause microcephaly and other neurological problems in newborns and adults, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome. It could also lead to abortion and stillbirth in pregnant women. Prevention methods are essentially targeted at transmission routes, which are mosquito bite, sexual intercourse, and blood transfusion. The study was of observational, descriptive, cross-sectional design, and conducted in a tertiary health institution in the Southeast geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty-six female caregivers participated in the study, with most of them being within the childbearing age group, and educated up to tertiary level. The objective was to assess the knowledge of Zika virus infection prevention methods, among female caregivers that bring babies for immunization in a Teaching Hospital, Southeast Nigeria. Out of the eight questions that sought to assess the knowledge level of the respondents, they scored 50% and above only in three, which were on prevention through protection against mosquito bite (60.5%), avoiding unnecessary blood transfusion in endemic areas (53.9%), and avoidance of oily meals not being a preventive measure (51.2%). Respondents in the childbearing age group, and those with higher educational qualifications, generally exhibited higher knowledge level than the other respondents. Scores on questions that sought to assess their knowledge on prevention aspects related to sexual behavior, and vaccination were poor. Sensitization, or awareness creation activities for persons in this study area, ought to be designed to address the observed gaps.

The Relationship between Splenic Length and Age in Adult Nigerians

Background: The relationship between splenic size and age has been well studied in children but reports on adults have been inconsistent. In Nigeria, the relationship between splenic size and age as well as the inter-decade changes in splenic length in adults has not been adequately studied. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the relationship between splenic length and age in adult Nigerians. Methods: This is a retrospective study in which sonographic splenic lengths of adult Nigerians aged 30 years and above were correlated with age. The relevant data were obtained from the medical records of those who had ultrasound splenic examination for the purposes of medical check-up between December 2016 and December 2017. Results: There were 50 cases aged between 34 and 57 years, with a mean age of 42.76 ± 7.73 years. Their spleens had normal shape and echotexture. The mean splenic length was 9.56 ± 1.37 cm. Splenic length correlated negatively with age and decreased from 9.79 ± 1.00 cm in the fourth decade to 9.49 ± 1.67 cm in the fifth decade and to 9.24 ± 1.63 cm in the sixth decade. The mean splenic length of 9.56 recorded in these cases was relatively small when compared to the results by other workers who studied subjects of much younger age groups. Conclusion: The studied cases which were in the fourth, fifth and sixth decades of life had a relatively small mean splenic length. There was no significant change in splenic length with increasing age.