Sickle cell disease is caused by an abnormality of the β-globin gene and is characterised by sickling of the red blood cells. Globally, sub-Saharan African countries share the highest burden of the disease. This study aimed at critically reviewing studies focusing on challenges of sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. A literature search was carried out in five major databases. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the bibliometric review and critical analysis. A majority of the studies were undertaken in the West African region (85.5%), followed by Central Africa (9.1%). Very few studies had been undertaken in East Africa (3.6%), whilst the Southern African region had the fewest studies (1.8%). Distribution in relation to country revealed that three quarters of the studies were carried out in Nigeria (74.5%), followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (9.1%). According to healthcare settings, a strong majority of the studies were undertaken in tertiary health care facilities (92.7%). Major themes that emerged from the review include interventions, cost of treatment, and knowledge about sickle cell disease. Public health awareness and promotion as well as improving the quality of sickle cell centers for prompt management of patients with sickle cell disorder was identified as a critical strategy towards reducing the burden of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this, governments in countries located in this region need to adopt a proactive strategy in addressing gaps that have been identified in this study, as well as instituting other relevant measures, such as continuous media engagement and public health interventions relating to genetic counselling. Reforms in other areas that can help reduce the disease burden, include training of practitioners and equipping sickle cell disease treatment centers according to World Health Organization specifications.
Introduction Counterfeit medicines are substandard pharmaceutical products that are produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent their authenticity, origin, or effectiveness. The risk of the existence of such products in healthcare provision remains a significant threat to public health. Pharmacists represent the most critical stakeholders in the supply, manufacture, purchase, and dispensing of pharmaceutical products, and as such can play critical roles in detecting and reducing the circulation of fake medicines. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of pharmacists in Nigeria in relation to counterfeit medicines as well as the challenges associated with preventing and mitigating this menace in the country. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken to administer questionnaires to pharmacists across various sectors of practice in Nigeria. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results A total of 390 valid responses were received. The respondents indicated that online drug commerce (72.68%), inadequate inspection (90.93%), inadequate legislation (88.83%), poor collaboration (89.94%), and poor cross-border enforcement (90.43%) were primary challenges to the mitigation of fake medicines circulation in the country. Whilst pharmacists were knowledgeable about counterfeit drugs, gaps were observed in their practices towards detection of these products, as about one-third (30.7%) of the sample indicated that their current knowledge and skills were inadequate to detect counterfeit medicines. Age, years of practice, and area of practice significantly influenced the abilities of the participants to detect counterfeit medicines. Conclusion Evidence from the study revealed that pharmacists had good knowledge of medicine counterfeiting in Nigeria. However, factors such as poor collaboration among regulatory agencies, inadequate inspection and legislation on the regulation of the pharmaceutical sector and online sales of medicines have contributed to the circulation of counterfeit medicines, and this has in turn affected healthcare services in the country.
Background The emergence of corona virus disease caused by SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19) and the subsequent recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the use of non-pharmaceutical measures led to an upsurge in the production and sale of hand sanitizers across the globe including Nigeria. It is important that product regulation schemes are designed in such a way as to ensure the continual quality of the products to potential clients. Hence, this paper provides an understanding of the quality of alcohol based hand sanitizers in Abuja, Nigeria. Methods A total of fifty (50) different brands of alcohol-based hand sanitizers were purchased from different pharmacies, supermarkets, and stores, within Abuja. In the laboratory, samples were checked for their label claims, NAFDAC registration number, batch number, manufacturing and expiration dates. The information was recorded in the laboratory notebook in accordance with ISO 17025 requirement, then samples were coded as SAN1 to SAN50 and assessed for pH values and Alcohol Content. Results About 40% of the circulating hand sanitizers in the market did not go through regulatory vetting, 34% of the products did not have information on the country of manufacture, 32% of the sanitizers had pH values within acceptable range, while 78% of the products contained less than 60% alcohol. Conclusion This study gives an insight into the quality of alcohol-based hand sanitizers and we suggest an urgent need for the regulatory authorities of developing countries to enhance their surveillance and control of these substandard products in the society.
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