Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 430 consenting pregnant women attending antenatal clinics between March 1 and May 30, 2020, using pretested questionnaires. Results: The mean age and mean gestational age of the respondents were 30.04 years (95% confidence interval [CI] 28.9-31.1) and 26.3 weeks (95% CI 23.3-29.3), respectively. More than four-fiths (82%) of the women believed that COVID-19 is real and their main source of information was mass media. The majority had adequate knowledge of COVID-19. More than half of the respondents said COVID-19 is a curable disease and that chloroquine can be used. The majority showed a good attitude and preventive practice of COVID-19 disease; however, one-fourth (24%) thought that infected individuals should be killed to prevent the spread of the virus. Conclusion: The study population has good knowledge, attitude, and practice of COVID-19 disease. However, it is worrisome that some respondents thought that infected individuals should be killed. Proper education must be given to the populace to avert these negative attitudes while promoting a positive preventive attitude. The study population has adequate knowledge, good attitude, and preventive practice of COVID-19; however, community education is needed to reduce anxiety among the populace.
Background. Cervical cancer is a preventable disease and the most common cancer among women in Nigeria. Objectives. To appraise the perception and utilization of cervical cancer screening services among female nurses in Federal Teaching hospital, Abakaliki. Materials and Methods. A cross-sectional study was done using semi-structured questionnaires on 408 consenting female nurses. Data was represented using simple percentages, charts, and Chi-square. Results. Of the 408 questionnaires shared, 388 were correctly and completely filled and analyzed. The respondents in this study showed good knowledge of cervical cancer as all (388) were aware that cervical cancer is a preventable disease of public health concern. Majority of them, 179 (46.1%) were between 21 and 30 years of age. The most common symptom of cervical cancer identified was postcoital bleeding (57%). Nursing training was the most common (73.5%) source of cervical cancer information. Utilization of cervical cancer screening was poor in this study as only 20.6% of the respondents had ever undergone screening. The most common reason for nonscreening was that they have not thought of it (28.4%). Conclusion. Despite the high level of awareness of cervical cancer screening, utilization remains low. There is, therefore, the need for cervical cancer education for the nurses to help improve utilization.
Background Female genital mutilation (FGM) is an assault on womanhood. Objective To compare the obstetric outcome between parturient with genital mutilation with a cohort that has no genital mutilation. Materials and methods This cross-sectional prospective study was done in the labour ward of Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2013. The obstetrics outcome of 260 consenting healthy parturients with FGM in the 1st stage of labour was compared with 260 cohorts with no FGM and also in labour. Data were obtained with a structured questionnaire and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistic version 20. Simple percentage odd ratio and Chi-square were used for data analysis at a p-value of < 0.05. Results The mean age and gestational age of the women were 27.9 ± 4.8 years and 38.9 ± 1.5 weeks respectively. Majority of the women, 308 or 77.0%, belonged to social class 4 and 82.0% had Type 2 FGM. More than 90.0% of the women had a vaginal delivery and the 2nd stage of labour lasted more than 2 h in 13.4% of the women (OR = 0.78 95% CI 0.64-0.97). Parturient with FGM had increased odd of perineal tear (OR = 0.76 95% CI 0.63 - 0.91) and episiotomy (OR = 1.69 95% CI 1.17–2.45). The mode of delivery and neonatal Apgar scores were not significantly influenced by the presence of FGM (P > 0.05). Conclusion The study has shown that FGM in labour increases the odds of developing perineal trauma which may be associated with a host of short- and long-term complications. We recommend continued awareness creation to stop FGM.
Background: Menstruation has a variable pattern. Knowledge of age at menarche and providing accurate information to adolescent girls is necessary to allay anxiety, treat menstrual morbidities, and improve their quality of life. Objective: To determine the age at menarche and menstrual characteristics of adolescent secondary school girls in Abakaliki. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in seven secondary schools in Abakaliki among 960 female students. A total of 450 girls were randomly selected for the study. A pretested selfadministered questionnaire was used in data collection. Four hundred questionnaires were properly filled and used for the final analysis. Results: The age range of the students was between 10 -21years. The mean age of the respondents was 16.2 AE 1.7years. The average age at menarche was 13 AE 1.0 years. Urban dwellers had menarche 0.2years earlier than rural dwellers. There is an association between menarche and social class (X [2] 372.9 (2), p ¼ 0.001). About 87.75% of the respondents had an average cycle length. Most (88.3%) of the respondents had a menstrual flow duration of 3-5 days. Dysmenorrhoea was present in 82% of respondents and was severe enough to cause absence from school in 56.5% of students. Oligomenorrhea and menorrhagia occurred in 8.5 % and 6.25 % of the student studied. Mothers (80.0%), friends (75.0%) and teachers (74.5%) accounted for the bulk of the information on menstrual health. Conclusion:The average age at menarche was 13 AE 1.0 years. Dysmenorrhea is a major cause of morbidity amongst this age group and should be empathically addressed. It is therefore important that the students, their parents, and school managers in the study area be educated on the issues of menstrual problems that can occur in an adolescent.
Introduction Infection is one of the most common causes of maternal morbidities and mortality and has been reported to be responsible for about 15% of maternal deaths. Any woman is at risk of infection during childbirth, but women undergoing cesarean section are at higher risk. Improvement in surgical procedures with asepsis and the use of antibiotics have helped reduce postoperative infectious morbidities. However, ascending infection from the lower to the upper genital tract is a common but often neglected source of infection. Cleaning the vagina with chlorhexidine antiseptic solution before cesarean section can be a cheap and affordable source of infection control. This study is aimed at evaluating the efficacy of preoperative vaginal cleansing using 1.0% chlorhexidine in the reduction of post‐cesarean section infectious morbidities. Material and methods This prospective randomized control trial was conducted among 322 pregnant women who underwent an emergency cesarean section at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE‐FUTHA). The women were randomized into two groups. The interventional group received vaginal cleansing with three standard gauzes soaked in 30 mL 1.0% chlorhexidine gluconate solution preoperatively in addition to surgical skin cleaning with chlorhexidine‐alcohol. The women in the control group only had surgical skin cleaning with chlorhexidine‐alcohol. All the women received pre‐ and postoperative antibiotics. The primary outcomes were endometritis and wound infections. Results Infectious morbidity was significantly reduced from 36.8% in the control group to 12.0% in the intervention group (P = .001). Endometritis occurred significantly less frequently in the intervention group than the control group (respectively 6.6% compared with 27.6%: relative risk [RR] 0.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.16‐0.53; P < .05). Foul‐smelling vaginal discharge was significantly more common in the control group than in the intervention group (11.8% vs 1.3%, respectively) but the CI was wide (RR 8.5, 95% CI 1.30‐64.55; P < .001). Fever and wound infection were more common in the control group (5.9% vs 3.3% and 9.2% vs 5.3%) but the difference was not significant. The hospital stay was significantly shorter among the intervention group (5.54 ± 1.04 days compared with 6.01 ± 1.55 days, P < 0.05). The most common microbial isolate implicated in endocervical colonization was Staphylococcus aureus followed by Klebsiella species. Conclusions Vaginal cleansing with 1.0% chlorhexidine gluconate solution before emergency cesarean section appears to be effective in reducing rates of post‐cesarean section infectious morbidity in the study area. We recommend its use among women undergoing cesarean section to help reduce the contribution of infections to a poor obstetrics outcome.
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