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Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an increasingly prevalent pathogen. We studied the prevalence of MRSA and its association with vaginitis during pregnancy. Bacteriological investigations of high vaginal swabs of 350 healthy pregnant women attending antenatal clinics were carried out. Staphylococci were isolated from high vaginal swabs of 135 of the women. The staphylococcal isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotics. The PCR amplification of DNA of 20 selected isolates yielded six possessing the mecA gene and 13 the blaZ gene. MRSA possessing both the mecA and blaZ genes were isolated from subjects who reported vaginal discharge and itching.

Background. Tuberculosis remains the leading cause of death due to infectious diseases worldwide ranking above HIV/AIDS, and Nigeria is rated as the 7th worldwide and the 2nd in Africa among the 30 countries highly burdened with tuberculosis worldwide. Aim. To investigate the challenges encountered by nurses in the care of TB patients in a Federal Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. Setting. Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria. Methods. A qualitative contextual method was utilized with the sample size determined by data saturation. Data collection was done through an audiotaped, semistructured interview. The study sample consisted of 20 professional nurses working in the medical and paediatric wards of a selected Federal Teaching Hospital in South West, Nigeria. Data was analysed using Tesch’s content analysis approach. Results. The majority of the participants were females within the age group of 31–40 years. Challenges included inadequate availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), lack of isolation wards, delegating the care of tuberculosis patients to young inexperienced nurses, long process in diagnosing patients with tuberculosis, lack of policies protecting the nurses from exposure to tuberculosis, and inadequate training. The major concern was the fear of contracting tuberculosis. Conclusion. The study suggested that there should be a provision of adequate personal protective equipment; tuberculosis designated wards and provision of periodic training to update the nurses on care of tuberculosis patients. Establishment and execution of hospital policies and practices along with support are equally essential in facilitating a safe workplace for nurses.

Introduction the unmet need for family planning is a global health burden. The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced access to contraceptives, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the predictors of the unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria. Methods the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical survey design. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1,404 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The data was generated through the use of online Google survey and analyzed with SPSS version 25. The results were presented using descriptive and logistic regression at p≤0.05. Results fourty-seven percent of the respondents were females and 58.8% were married. The four major reasons for non-access to contraceptive methods during the lockdown were: fear of visiting health facility (77.9%), locked drug/chemist stores (51.2%), the restriction of movement (47.6%) and a lack of access to health care providers (42.9%). Predictors of unmet need for family planning were: aged 26-33 (OR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.02-3.55), married/cohabiters (OR = 3.693, 95% CI: 2.44-5.58), tertiary education (OR = 0.272, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54), Yoruba ethnicity (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), rural residence (OR = 0.554, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85) and 2-4 children born (OR = 3.873, 95% CI: 2.32-6.45). Conclusion a significant proportion of Nigerians experienced an unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prioritizing the access to contraceptives during the pandemic would not only allow women and men to correctly plan childbirth, it also reduces maternal risks, poverty and undesirable fertility rates.

Cardiovascular diseases have significantly increased in the last century becoming the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Work, worksite situations and practices are known to influence cardiovascular risk factors, hence the aim of this study to assess the awareness and prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors among workers in an agro-allied industry in Nigeria. A descriptive cross sectional survey was carried out to find out those with cardiovascular risk factors. Data were collected using an interviewer-assisted questionnaire developed using the WHO STEPwise approach to chronic disease risk surveillance. The mean age of the respondents was 34 ± 9.7 years. More than half 303 (59.4) of the respondents had high awareness of cardiovascular risk factors. Of the risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, 6.9% were current daily smokers, 15.1% abuse alcohol, 89.8% engaged in unhealthy diet, 66.5% do not engage in moderate/vigorous physical activities, 14.5% had family history of cardiovascular diseases, 17.8%% were overweight/obese and 37.1% were hypertensive. Overall, 64.5% of the respondents were classified as having low risk of developing cardiovascular diseases while about 30.4% had moderate risk and 2.7% had high risk.We recommend that health education regarding cardiovascular diseases risk factors be delivered periodically.

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