COVID-19 and Health-care Business Continuity in Africa: Perceptions of Risks and Vulnerabilities by Mid-level Management Staff in a Tertiary Care Hospital.

Objectives: The novel SARS-CoV-2 outbreak disrupted businesses globally and created fears in the general public and among health-care professionals. Almost universally, considerations about the coronavirus pandemic and its effects became priority in the daily operations of businesses, leaving hitherto pressing concerns in the back stage. Early in the pandemic, the management of University of Benin Teaching Hospital set up a Business Continuity Team which undertook an evaluation of the perceptions of mid-level hospital managers about their departments' and units' risks and vulnerabilities in the face of the ongoing pandemic.

Performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems globally. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for COVID-19 have been widely used in Nigeria.

An assessment of COVID-19 vaccine knowledge and acceptability among healthcare workers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and acceptability of COVID-19 vaccines among HCWs.

Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2021 among eligible HCWs using a self-administered questionnaire.

Setting: The study was conducted in a southern Nigerian tertiary hospital.

Instituting coronavirus disease 2019 testing: opportunities and challenges of molecular laboratory diagnosis in a Southern Nigerian teaching hospital.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic emphasised the importance of laboratory preparedness, including molecular diagnostic capacity, in the control of infectious disease outbreaks. This article reflects on diagnostic capacity-building opportunities presented by the pandemic, the challenges experienced along the way and the lessons learned from the perspective of a university teaching hospital in Southern Nigeria. We advocate for these lessons to inform strategic planning for laboratory preparedness at subnational, national and continental levels.

Improving cancer incidence evaluation through local government area matching: a study of the Edo-Benin cancer registry in Nigeria.

Background: Cancer registries in Nigeria, as well as in other sub-Saharan African countries, face challenges in adhering to international cancer registration standards. We aimed to improve cancer incidence estimation by identifying under-reporting of new cancers through matching patient-reported local government areas (LGAs) in Edo state, Nigeria, to their respective catchment populations.

Methods: Information on cancers was obtained from records of hospitals, medical clinics, pathology laboratories, and death certificates according to IARC guidelines.

Correction: Implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool in a southern Nigerian tertiary health facility.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.

Implementation of a COVID-19 screening tool in a southern Nigerian tertiary health facility.

Screening for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in emergency rooms of health facilities during outbreaks prevents nosocomial transmission. However, effective tools adapted for use in African countries are lacking. This study appraised an indigenous screening and triage tool for COVID-19 deployed at the medical emergency room of a Nigerian tertiary facility and determined the predictors of a positive molecular diagnostic test for COVID-19.

Setting up a molecular diagnostic laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 testing: Experience of a single centre in a resource-constrained setting.

Background: Molecular detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is at the forefront of the global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, molecular diagnostic capabilities are poorly developed in many African countries. Efforts by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and other public health agencies to scale up facilities for molecular testing across the continent are well documented, but there are few accounts from the laboratories at the frontline.

Preparedness and response of a tertiary hospital to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria: challenges, opportunities and lessons.

Africa was the last continent to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the discourse on Africa's response captured in scientific journals revolves around nations, public health agencies and organizations, but little is documented about how individual healthcare facilities have fared. This article reports the challenges faced in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria, including space constraints, diagnostic challenges, shortages in personal protective equipment and health worker infections.

Community mitigation strategies for coronavirus disease 2019: An assessment of knowledge and adherence amongst residents of Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Background: In the absence of effective vaccines and definitive treatment, non-pharmaceutical interventions, also known as community mitigation strategies (CMS), are needed to reduce the transmission of respiratory virus infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the effectiveness of these strategies depends on a knowledgeable population cooperating and adhering strictly to recommended strategies.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the knowledge and adherence to CMS against COVID-19 in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, Nigeria.

Facility-Based Surveillance Activities for COVID-19 Infection and Outcomes among Healthcare Workers in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

COVID-19 in healthcare workers (HCWs) can result in nosocomial transmission, depletion in available workforce, and enhanced community transmission. This article describes surveillance for COVID-19 in HCWs at a tertiary healthcare facility, and documents the outcomes. A descriptive cross-sectional study of all HCWs identified from surveillance for COVID-19 from March 31 to August 31, 2020 was conducted.

Staff risks stratification in preparation for COVID-19 in a tertiary healthcare facility in Nigeria.

Introduction: this report is a documentation of a staff risk stratification programme, undertaken in University of Benin Teaching Hospital, with outcomes, and the actions taken to protect staff.

Methods: an adapted risk stratification tool was circulated to all staff through their respective heads of departments/units. Staff were expected to voluntary assess their health and risk status in the context of COVID-19, using the tool.

Trends and Histopathological Patterns of Kaposi Sarcoma at The University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria.

Objectives: Kaposi sarcoma (KS) shows greater geographic variation in incidence than almost any other vascular tumor globally. KS is common in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa accounting for 9% of all diagnosed cancer cases in men in the early 1990's in Uganda and Zaire. KS is classified by the World Health Organization as a borderline vascular tumor.

Paucity of HPV-Related Head and Neck Cancers (HNC) in Nigeria.

Introduction: The burden of HPV-related Head and Neck Cancers (HNC) has been rising in the U.S. and other developed countries but this trend has not been reported in Africa.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma in a neonate with supraventricular tachycardia.

Cardiac rhabdomyoma (CR) is a rare tumor commonly associated with tuberous sclerosis. They are often detected prenatally or in early infancy. The case of a Nigerian human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed neonate with CR who presented with supraventricular tachycardia and cardiovascular collapse is presented.

Axillary breast cancer in a Nigerian woman.

Ectopic breast cancer is rare and diagnosis is commonly delayed. We report the case of a 34-year-old Nigerian woman with a locally advanced invasive ductal carcinoma in the axillary breast. She underwent an axillary mastectomy and is due to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy.