Background: Rampant chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine poisoning in Nigerian hospitals following suggestions of its possible efficacy in the treatment and prevention of the newly emerged COVID-19 disease informed this survey.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perception of the Nigerian populace on the use of chloroquine in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was done by administering an electronic questionnaire created using Google Docs, through social media cascade methods including the WhatsApp application software to capture data on chloroquine use between April 20 and June 20, 2020.
Prior to 2018, malaria therapeutic efficacy studies (TESs) in Nigeria were implemented separately at different sites, as assigned by the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP). In 2018, however, the NMEP engaged the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research to coordinate the 2018 TESs in 3 of 14 sentinel sites with the objective of standardizing their conduct across all three sites: Enugu, Kano, and Plateau states in three of six geopolitical zones. Artemether-lumefantrine and artesunate-amodiaquine, the two first-line drugs for treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria in Nigeria, were tested in both Kano and Plateau states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chemoprevention plays an important role in malaria control strategy. Perennial malaria chemoprevention (PMC) using sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine (SP) is a WHO-approved strategy to combat malaria in young children and may lead to drug pressure. Introducing SP-PMC may therefore be compromised due to the emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistant to SP, particularly mutation at K540E of the dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) gene.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToxoplasmosis is a common parasitic infection caused by an obligate intracellular protozoan, . Prevalence and risk factors of infection in women of childbearing age in Osun State, Nigeria are unknown. This study was aimed to determine the seroprevalence and potential risk factors in acquiring infection by women of childbearing age in Osun State, Nigeria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Incidence of malaria and anaemia are of public health importance especially in pregnant women in endemic regions, due to the negative health consequences to the mother and fetus. This study aimed to assess the pattern of falciparum malaria infection and anaemia, based on malaria prevention methods practiced by participants.
Methods: A semi-structured tool was used to capture information on demographic, socio-economic and malaria prevention practices from 113 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in 2 peri-urban health facilities in Lagos, southwest Nigeria.
Although continues to be the main target for malaria elimination, other species persist in Africa. Their clinical diagnosis is uncommon, whereas rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), the most widely used malaria diagnostic tools, are only able to distinguish between and non- species, the latter as "pan-species." Blood samples from health facilities were collected in southern Nigeria (Lagos and Calabar) in 2017 (October-December) and Calabar only in 2018 (October-November), and analyzed by several methods, namely, microscopy, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and peptide serology targeting candidate antigens ( apical membrane antigen, .
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