ABSTRACT The prevalence of unintended pregnancy in Kenya continues to be high with 43% of all births reported as unintended. A fifth of these births are due to incorrect use of short-term contraceptive methods which are the most popular methods resulting in contraceptive failure. In contrast, studies have shown that Long Acting and Reversible Contraceptive (LARC) method which are least popular have the highest effectiveness, do not depend on users’ adherence and do not require frequent visi...
The prevention of rivers and other water sources from pollution and the protection of public health by safeguarding water supplies against exposure to pollutants and the spread of diseases are the two major foundamental reasons for treating waste water.The conventional methods of treatment are inefficient, costly, unsustainable, outdated and oftenly results in an effluent heavily loaded with pollutants. Excess nitrates and phosphates causes eutrophication of the receiving water bodies and whe...
ABSTRACT Malaria accounts for approximately 21% of all out-patient visits in Kenya annually. Accurate diagnosis is the key to proper treatment of the disease. In Kenya, parasitological testing using either microscopy or malaria rapid diagnostic test (mRDT) are the recommended malaria diagnostic methods. Microscopy is the „gold standard‟ for laboratory diagnosis of malaria, and is the primary method for malaria diagnosis in Kisumu county referral hospital, yet its diagnostic quality has ne...
ABSTRACT Schistosoma mansoni (S. mansoni), soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and protozoa affect approximately 2 billion people world-wide. Most of these infections occur in developing countries and children below 14 years of age are the most affected. Mbita in western Kenya is one of the regions in which these infections are widely spread. Kato-Katz and formalin-ether concentration (FEC) techniques are widely used for the diagnosis of S. mansoni, STH, and intestinal protozoa infections respec...
Abstract Kenya has one of the highest maternal and child health mortality in Africa. Estimates developed by the UN inter-agency group for child mortality estimation indicate a 2011 infant mortality of 48 per 1000 live births while maternal mortality is estimated at 444 per 100,000 live births. Kisumu West District has one of the poorest maternal and child health indicators while the only measure available is the percentage of health facility based deliveries. There are no indicators for knowl...
ABSTRACT Over 2.8 million deaths annually and 35.8 million (2.3%) of global Disability Adjusted Life Years are attributed to overweight, making it the fifth leading risk for global deaths. In Kenya, 23.1% of the population is estimated to be either overweight or obese and the problem is rapidly increasing. Even though healthcare workers are a group considered well informed of aetiology of overweight/obesity, they have been reported to be disproportionately affected by the same problem. Howeve...
Abstract The prevalence of diverse factors affecting maintenance management determines the impact of such factors on the maintenance of prison facilities. This study investigates factors that affect the maintenance management of prison facilities in South-West, Nigeria. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the prison staff in the maintenance unit of all prisons situated in South-west, Nigeria. The statistical tools employed for the study were percentage, mean scores, kendall's coeff...
ABSTRACT Moringa oleifera is the most widespread species of the genus Moringa, the only genus in the family Moringaceae. It is a very popular plant used in traditional herbal medicine. Different parts of the plant contain a profile of important minerals and phytochemicals. The leaves and seeds are good sources of proteins, vitamins, beta-carotene, amino acids, and phenolic compounds. Study was carried out to check chemical constituents of leaves and seed oil of M. oleifera obtained from Ikor...
ABSTRACT Justification for the requests for homologous blood that accompany major elective maxillofacial surgical procedures is difficult to establish in most cases. This attitude of ordering for cross-matched blood is understandable in today's legal climate, but has led to serious problems in terms of laboratory inefficiency which can no longer be ignored. To evaluate the pattern of ordering and use of homologous blood, and transfusion ratios for major elective maxillofacial surgeries at th...
ABSTRACT Pesticides used in agriculture for the control of various pests often leave residues in foodstuffs and these have been shown to pose health hazards. Analysis of pesticide residues in food is one way to determine the level of human exposure to these chemicals and hence their potential human health hazards. Maize (Zea mays L.) and beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) samples purchased from different markets in Lagos State were analyzed for residues of organochlorine, organophosphate and carba...
Abstract Anaemia is a widespread public health problem with major consequences for human health as well as social and economic development (WHO 2004). It is defined as a condition characterised by haemoglobin concentration below established normal reference levels that differ according to age, gender, population and other aspects such as the geographical location and altitude (Silver, 2014). Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) is the most common type of anaemia. It is characterized by reduced red b...
Abstract Background: Childhood obesity and associated hypertension are major public health concerns globally. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity and the associated risk of high blood pressure among Nigerian adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional school-based study of 885 apparently healthy adolescents was performed. Weight, height and blood pressure (BP) were measured using standard methods. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated and categorized by age, sex and percentil...
ABSTRACT 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2 DS) is the most common microdeletion syndrome and is underdiagnosed in diverse populations. This syndrome has a variable phenotype and affects multiple systems, making early recognition imperative. In this study, individuals from diverse populations with 22q11.2 DS were evaluated clinically and by facial analysis technology. Clinical information from 106 individuals and images from 101 were collected from individuals with 22q11.2 DS from 11 countrie...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that can asymptomatically colonize a woman’s vagina and up to 31% of pregnant women are colonized worldwide. Furthermore, vaginal colonization with E. coli is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preterm birth and stillbirth. It is also associated with neonatal sepsis or meningitis when transmitted to the foetus through amniotic fluid or to the neonate during delivery. To date in Namibia data on the colonization a...
ABSTRACT Respiratory infections represent a major global health problem, and occurrences of respiratory diseases have been increasing in Southern Africa countries including Namibia due to anthropogenic activities. This study was conducted in Tsumeb, a municipal township located in the Northern part of Namibia. It aimed at determining the prevalence of respiratory ailments among the residents, identify risk factors associated with the prevalence and recommend appropriate measures to prevent ex...