The compliance rate of 65.9% for iron supplementation by pregnant mothers in Enugu can further be improved by providing the drug free of charge in the short term and improvement in education and socioeconomic class of the populace in the long run.

With more public enlightenment, available and affordable HPV vaccine appears to hold the key for prevention of cervical cancer in developing countries where the burden is high.

The use of ITNs is poor among pregnant women in Enugu, but associated with favorable maternal and feto-neonatal outcome. Future measures to increase its use should consider improvement in educational level and social class of our women.

Background:The national policy on malaria control recommends use of intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (IPT-SP) for chemoprophylaxis against malaria in pregnancy; and use of quinine and arthemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for acute treatment of malaria in the first, and second/third trimesters, respectively. In Nigeria, a large proportion of pregnant women are seen by the general practitioners (GPs).Objective:To determine the pattern of anti-malaria prescription in pregnancy among GPs in Enugu state, and access the level of conformity with the national policy on malaria control.Materials and Methods:Questionnaires were administered to a cross-section of 147 GPs that attended the 2010 Enugu state branch of the Nigeria Medical Association Scientific Conference/Annual General Meeting/Election.Results:The mean age of the GPs was 37 ± 3.6 (range 27-70) years. Quinine was the commonly (45.6% (n = 67)) prescribed anti-malaria drug in the first trimester while in the second/third trimester ACT was commonly (48.3% (n = 71)) prescribed. Seventy-six (51.7%) practitioners prescribed IPT-SP for chemoprophylaxis against malaria while the rest (48.3%) prescribed other drugs. GPs who obtained MBBS qualification less than or equal to 5 years prior to the survey were more likely to comply with the national policy on malaria control in their prescriptions (P < 0.05).Conclusion:The pattern of anti-malaria prescription among GPs in Enugu state is varied, and conformed poorly to the evidence-based national policy on malaria control. There is need for continuing professional development to keep the GPs abreast with current trends in malaria treatment during pregnancy.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess how the current COVID-19 pandemic has affected cesarean section (C-section) rates, indications, and peripartum outcomes. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study that compared a 3-month rates of and indications for C-sections at three tertiary health care institutions in Nigeria before (October 2019–December 2019) and during the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020–May 2020). Primary outcomes were C-section rate and indications between the two periods. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 IBM Corporation. Rates and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were used to quantify indications and peripartum outcomes and statistical significance was accepted when p value was <0.05. Results: The baseline characteristics of the two groups were similar. The C-section rate during the COVID-19 period was significantly less than the period prior to the pandemic (237/580, 40.0% vs 390/833, 46.8%; p = 0.027). The rates of postdatism (odds ratio = 1.47, 95% confidence interval = 1.05–2.05, p = 0.022), fetal distress (odds ratio = 3.06, 95% confidence interval = 1.55–6.06, p = 0.017), emergency C-section (odds ratio = 1.43, 95% confidence interval = 1.01–2.05, p = 0.042), and anemia (odds ratio = 1.84, 95% confidence interval = 1.12–3.03, p = 0.016) were significantly higher during the pandemic than prepandemic. Conclusion: The overall C-section rate during the first wave of COVID-19 was significantly lower than the prepandemic period. There were higher rates of postdatism, fetal distress, emergency C-section, and postpartum anemia. Further studies on this changing C-section trend during the pandemic are needed.