Publications by authors named "Murphy-Okpala Ngozi"
Background: Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) significantly impact the physical and mental well-being of affected individuals, particularly in Nigeria. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating mental health services with self-care practices for individuals suffering from leprosy, Buruli ulcer (BU), and lymphatic filariasis (LF). The role of trained Healthcare Workers (HCWs) and NTD champions (NTD-Cs) will be explored to enhance health outcomes in this population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study in Nigeria aimed to assess community knowledge and stigma surrounding leprosy, revealing a significant gap in understanding and high levels of stigma among residents.
- Nearly half (49.4%) of the 811 survey participants had poor knowledge about leprosy, largely due to cultural beliefs and misconceptions about its transmission.
- The findings highlight the need for targeted health education and interventions to reduce stigma and improve knowledge about leprosy in the community.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the mental health impact of skin neglected tropical diseases, specifically leprosy and Buruli ulcer, on affected individuals in Nigeria, highlighting issues related to stigma and disability.
- A total of 635 participants were assessed using various mental health questionnaires, revealing alarming rates of mental health issues: 89.9% experienced depressive symptoms, 79.4% had anxiety disorders, and 66.1% reported poor mental wellbeing.
- Key factors influencing poor mental health included lack of formal education, unemployment, having leprosy, and insufficient social support, highlighting the need for targeted mental health interventions for these populations.
Improving TB Case Detection Through Active Case-Finding: Results of Multiple Intervention Strategies in Hard-to-Reach Riverine Areas of Southern Nigeria.
Glob Health Sci Pract
February 2024
Background: A major challenge to TB control globally is low case detection, largely due to routine health facility-based passive case-finding employed by national TB control programs. Active case-finding is a risk-population-based screening approach that has been established to be effective in TB control. This intervention aimed to increase TB case detection in hard-to-reach areas in southern Nigeria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In Nigeria, similar to many leprosy-endemic countries, leprosy is highly stigmatized. High levels of stigma among community members as well as internalized stigma among persons affected by leprosy often result in negative psychosocial consequences for those affected. To break this vicious cycle, it is important to conduct context-specific behavioral change activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Yaws, caused by the Treponema pallidum subspecies pertenue bacteria, primarily affects children under 15 and was once common in Nigeria, but eradication efforts have significantly reduced its prevalence.
- A recent study involved screening 105,015 school children in southeast Nigeria for yaws, with trained volunteers identifying 7,706 children with various skin issues.
- Despite eight suspected yaws cases, none were confirmed, highlighting the need for ongoing community awareness and active case-finding initiatives against yaws in the region.
This protocol describes a study in which we would assess the effect of using community lay counselors, self-help groups (SHGs), and trained frontline health workers to reduce mental disorders and improve quality of life (QOL) of persons affected by leprosy or Buruli ulcer (BU). A cluster randomized controlled study design will be employed. The study will involve persons affected by leprosy or BU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: diarrhoea remains a public health problem globally with majority of diarrhoea morbidity and mortality occurring in low resource settings. This study assessed the prevalence of diarrhoea and factors associated with diarrhoea in a rural community in Enugu, South East Nigeria.
Methods: a community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between May and June, 2017.