Introduction: On the 5<sup>th</sup> of June 2022, an incident of a mass attack following multiple gunshots and explosions occurred in a community in Ondo State Nigeria. This study aims to assess the mental...Introduction: On the 5<sup>th</sup> of June 2022, an incident of a mass attack following multiple gunshots and explosions occurred in a community in Ondo State Nigeria. This study aims to assess the mental health status of victims of the mass attack to guide further interventions among them. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among victims of a mass attack in Owo community, Ondo State. A total of 209 affected victims were interviewed on socio-demographic characteristics, symptoms of anxiety (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), threat experienced, and mental health support received. A 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and 9-item Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scale were used to assess the mental health status of the victims. A point was assigned to respondents who reported the symptoms of GAD, with a maximum score of 7 attained. For GAD, scores were categorized as follows: 1 - 2 as mild, 2 - 3 as minimal, 4 - 5 as moderate and 6 - 7 as severe. The PTSD symptoms were rated using a 5-point Likert scale response, and assigned the following points;4 = extremely, 3 = quite a bit, 2 = moderate, 1 = a little bit and 0 = not at all. From a maximum score of 36, participants with scores 18 and above were categorized as those with provisional PTSD. The independent samples t-test and correlational analysis were used to determine the association between PTSD score and other independent variables, with an alpha level of significance set at 0.05. Results: Generally, 38 (18.2%) of the respondents had severe AD. About half (89;42.6%) were categorized as those with provisional PTSD. The mean level of both AD (3.40 ± 2.26) and PTSD (16.51 ± 7.63) score is higher among those who were married compared to those not married (anxiety disorder;2.52 ± 2.20, P = 0.005 and PTSD;13.20 ± 8.86, P = 0.004). Respondents who have been counseled by a healthcare worker had a higher mean level (15.89 ± 7.58) of provisional PTSD compared to those not counseled by a healthcare worker (13.56 ± 9.22, P = 0.046). The level of PTSD score increased with a higher age group (r = 0.21, P = 0.003). Conclusions: The results show that the mass attack had psychological consequences among a high proportion of the victims, particularly, those married and in the older age groups. This suggests the need for continuous supportive counseling targeting these affected groups, and considering other factors moderating the effectiveness of counseling among them in future interventions.展开更多
<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background: </strong>On 3<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><sup>rd</sup></span> April 2020, an outbreak of Coron...<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background: </strong>On 3<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><sup>rd</sup></span> April 2020, an outbreak of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Field investigations were conducted by the State Ministry of Health (MoH) to identify and confirm additional cases. This paper provides the outcome of the epidemiological investigation of the outbreak to further guide outbreak response activities. <strong>Methods:</strong> Field epidemiology methods coordinated by the State Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) were used in the outbreak investigation. Suspected cases were reported through the routine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) network in the State. Also, active case search/finding to communities and health facilities using the operational case definitions was conducted. Furthermore, the state COVID-19 emergency call center was established with toll-free phone number provided to members of the public to call-in to report suspected persons with symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 operational case definition (signal). All cases reported were investigated with nasopharyngeal sample collected and confirmatory testing for COVID-19 done by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a national reference laboratory. Information of each case investigated was documented using the COVID-19 case investigation form and COVID-19 line-list which captured socio-demographic characteristics, history of exposure to COVID-19, presenting symptoms, travel history and sample collection details. Data were extracted from the case investigation form and line list and analyzed using SPSS version 20, with a p-value set at < 0.05. <strong>Results:</strong> A total of 4353 suspected cases were reported and investigated, of which 1316 cases were confirmed between March 19, 2020 and August 9, 2020. The mean age of the confirmed cases was 37.8 ± 14.8 years. The highest proportion of COVID-19 cases and deaths occurred in the age group 20 - 39 years (50.6%) and ≥60 years (13.5%), respectively. More males (52.4%) were affected than females (45.8%). There were 404 (30.7%) healthcare workers infection. About a quarter (325;24.7%) of the cases was symptomatic and presented with key symptoms such as cough (98/325;30.2%) and fever (74/325;22.8%) during the investigation. A case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.2% was recorded in 7 of the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) where confirmed cases were reported in the State. Most of the confirmed cases, 1169 (88.8%) reside in urban LGAs of the State. The epidemic curve shows a propagated pattern of transmission with the outbreak reaching its peak on July 2, 2020. Significantly, higher proportion of death was recorded in the age group ≥ 60 years (14;13.5%) and among males (26;3.6%) (p < 0.001). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Our investigation found high transmission of COVID-19 infection among urban residents (LGAs) and health care workers with high mortality among males in older age group in the State. Hence, we recommend intensified risk communication and use of community structures to ensure compliance with public health COVID-19 preventive protocols including enforcing infection prevention and control compliance, particularly among high-risk groups.</span>展开更多
Introduction: Annual outbreak of Lassa Fever (LF) has been reported in Ondo State over the years. We analyzed LF surveillance data from January 2014 to December 2019 to describe the epidemiological pattern of the outb...Introduction: Annual outbreak of Lassa Fever (LF) has been reported in Ondo State over the years. We analyzed LF surveillance data from January 2014 to December 2019 to describe the epidemiological pattern of the outbreak. Method: Lassa fever dataset from January 2014 to December 2019 was obtained from the State Ministry of Health. Variables analyzed include date of onset of symptom, age, gender, place (Local Government Area, LGA) and outcome of laboratory test. Data were summarized using frequencies, proportions, chart and maps. Results: From January 2014 and December 2019, 2141 suspected LF cases were reported. Of these, 551 cases were laboratory confirmed with 134 deaths recorded. The LF cases (suspected vs. confirmed) reported increased in 2016 (73 vs. 19), 2017 (207 vs. 76), 2018 (452 vs. 159) and 2019 (856 vs. 285) respectively. Most of the confirmed cases (89.5%) were ≥15 years while more than half (53.7%) were males. Prior to 2016, only two LGAs (Owo and Ose) recorded continued transmission of the disease. However, between 2016 and 2019, the disease had spread to 8 neighboring LGAs (P < 0.001) with the CFR declining from 67% in 2015 to 20% in 2019. Conclusion: We found an unusual increase in the suspected LF cases reported between January 2016 and December 2019 with a corresponding increase in the confirmed cases and high annual case fatality rates. Hence, we recommend intensified surveillance activities to enhance timely reporting of cases and laboratory confirmation to ensure early commencement of treatment to reduce the case fatality rate.展开更多
Objectives: Rapid and accurate identification of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 is key to managing the pandemic. The urgent need to scale up access to COVID-19 testing in Nigeria has led to the...Objectives: Rapid and accurate identification of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 is key to managing the pandemic. The urgent need to scale up access to COVID-19 testing in Nigeria has led to the government’s introduction of the use of COVID-19 Ag rapid diagnostic test (RDT) across various settings in the country. However, field performance evaluation of the rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test is required to be conducted periodically and compared with the gold standard real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for diagnosis of COVID-19 cases. Design: A prospective COVID-19 screening and un-blinded verification of the performance of the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag test kit. Setting: The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test, Standard<sup>TM</sup> Q COVID-19 Ag kit was compared with the RT-PCR test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal samples for COVID-19 screening from persons and personnel attending a national youth camp orientation exercise during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (January to March 2021) in Ondo state, southwest Nigeria. Participants: Three hundred fifty-one persons and personnel were screened for COVID-19 infection. Results: Of 351 respondents screened, 68 (19.4%) were positive, and 264 (75.2%) were negative for both COVID-19 Ag RDT and RT-PCR assay. The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test’s sensitivity and specificity were 78.16% (95% CI = 68.02% - 86.31%) and 100.0% (95% CI = 98.61% - 100.0%), respectively and the diagnostic accuracy was 94.59% (95% CI: 92 - 97). Respondents that were symptomatic had a higher test sensitivity of 78.6% (49.2 - 95.3) compared to those without symptoms 78.1% (66.9 - 86.9) (p Conclusions: Our study shows evidence that Standard<sup>TM</sup> Q COVID-19 Ag kit can be an appropriate rapid antigen test that could be used to screen for positive COVID-19 tests to guide decision-making for clinical management of persons infected with COVID-19, especially for closed settings and other clinical care settings.展开更多
文摘Introduction: On the 5<sup>th</sup> of June 2022, an incident of a mass attack following multiple gunshots and explosions occurred in a community in Ondo State Nigeria. This study aims to assess the mental health status of victims of the mass attack to guide further interventions among them. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among victims of a mass attack in Owo community, Ondo State. A total of 209 affected victims were interviewed on socio-demographic characteristics, symptoms of anxiety (AD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), threat experienced, and mental health support received. A 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) and 9-item Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) scale were used to assess the mental health status of the victims. A point was assigned to respondents who reported the symptoms of GAD, with a maximum score of 7 attained. For GAD, scores were categorized as follows: 1 - 2 as mild, 2 - 3 as minimal, 4 - 5 as moderate and 6 - 7 as severe. The PTSD symptoms were rated using a 5-point Likert scale response, and assigned the following points;4 = extremely, 3 = quite a bit, 2 = moderate, 1 = a little bit and 0 = not at all. From a maximum score of 36, participants with scores 18 and above were categorized as those with provisional PTSD. The independent samples t-test and correlational analysis were used to determine the association between PTSD score and other independent variables, with an alpha level of significance set at 0.05. Results: Generally, 38 (18.2%) of the respondents had severe AD. About half (89;42.6%) were categorized as those with provisional PTSD. The mean level of both AD (3.40 ± 2.26) and PTSD (16.51 ± 7.63) score is higher among those who were married compared to those not married (anxiety disorder;2.52 ± 2.20, P = 0.005 and PTSD;13.20 ± 8.86, P = 0.004). Respondents who have been counseled by a healthcare worker had a higher mean level (15.89 ± 7.58) of provisional PTSD compared to those not counseled by a healthcare worker (13.56 ± 9.22, P = 0.046). The level of PTSD score increased with a higher age group (r = 0.21, P = 0.003). Conclusions: The results show that the mass attack had psychological consequences among a high proportion of the victims, particularly, those married and in the older age groups. This suggests the need for continuous supportive counseling targeting these affected groups, and considering other factors moderating the effectiveness of counseling among them in future interventions.
文摘<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><strong>Background: </strong>On 3<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><sup>rd</sup></span> April 2020, an outbreak of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Field investigations were conducted by the State Ministry of Health (MoH) to identify and confirm additional cases. This paper provides the outcome of the epidemiological investigation of the outbreak to further guide outbreak response activities. <strong>Methods:</strong> Field epidemiology methods coordinated by the State Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) were used in the outbreak investigation. Suspected cases were reported through the routine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) network in the State. Also, active case search/finding to communities and health facilities using the operational case definitions was conducted. Furthermore, the state COVID-19 emergency call center was established with toll-free phone number provided to members of the public to call-in to report suspected persons with symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 operational case definition (signal). All cases reported were investigated with nasopharyngeal sample collected and confirmatory testing for COVID-19 done by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a national reference laboratory. Information of each case investigated was documented using the COVID-19 case investigation form and COVID-19 line-list which captured socio-demographic characteristics, history of exposure to COVID-19, presenting symptoms, travel history and sample collection details. Data were extracted from the case investigation form and line list and analyzed using SPSS version 20, with a p-value set at < 0.05. <strong>Results:</strong> A total of 4353 suspected cases were reported and investigated, of which 1316 cases were confirmed between March 19, 2020 and August 9, 2020. The mean age of the confirmed cases was 37.8 ± 14.8 years. The highest proportion of COVID-19 cases and deaths occurred in the age group 20 - 39 years (50.6%) and ≥60 years (13.5%), respectively. More males (52.4%) were affected than females (45.8%). There were 404 (30.7%) healthcare workers infection. About a quarter (325;24.7%) of the cases was symptomatic and presented with key symptoms such as cough (98/325;30.2%) and fever (74/325;22.8%) during the investigation. A case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.2% was recorded in 7 of the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) where confirmed cases were reported in the State. Most of the confirmed cases, 1169 (88.8%) reside in urban LGAs of the State. The epidemic curve shows a propagated pattern of transmission with the outbreak reaching its peak on July 2, 2020. Significantly, higher proportion of death was recorded in the age group ≥ 60 years (14;13.5%) and among males (26;3.6%) (p < 0.001). <strong>Conclusions:</strong> Our investigation found high transmission of COVID-19 infection among urban residents (LGAs) and health care workers with high mortality among males in older age group in the State. Hence, we recommend intensified risk communication and use of community structures to ensure compliance with public health COVID-19 preventive protocols including enforcing infection prevention and control compliance, particularly among high-risk groups.</span>
文摘Introduction: Annual outbreak of Lassa Fever (LF) has been reported in Ondo State over the years. We analyzed LF surveillance data from January 2014 to December 2019 to describe the epidemiological pattern of the outbreak. Method: Lassa fever dataset from January 2014 to December 2019 was obtained from the State Ministry of Health. Variables analyzed include date of onset of symptom, age, gender, place (Local Government Area, LGA) and outcome of laboratory test. Data were summarized using frequencies, proportions, chart and maps. Results: From January 2014 and December 2019, 2141 suspected LF cases were reported. Of these, 551 cases were laboratory confirmed with 134 deaths recorded. The LF cases (suspected vs. confirmed) reported increased in 2016 (73 vs. 19), 2017 (207 vs. 76), 2018 (452 vs. 159) and 2019 (856 vs. 285) respectively. Most of the confirmed cases (89.5%) were ≥15 years while more than half (53.7%) were males. Prior to 2016, only two LGAs (Owo and Ose) recorded continued transmission of the disease. However, between 2016 and 2019, the disease had spread to 8 neighboring LGAs (P < 0.001) with the CFR declining from 67% in 2015 to 20% in 2019. Conclusion: We found an unusual increase in the suspected LF cases reported between January 2016 and December 2019 with a corresponding increase in the confirmed cases and high annual case fatality rates. Hence, we recommend intensified surveillance activities to enhance timely reporting of cases and laboratory confirmation to ensure early commencement of treatment to reduce the case fatality rate.
文摘Objectives: Rapid and accurate identification of persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 is key to managing the pandemic. The urgent need to scale up access to COVID-19 testing in Nigeria has led to the government’s introduction of the use of COVID-19 Ag rapid diagnostic test (RDT) across various settings in the country. However, field performance evaluation of the rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test is required to be conducted periodically and compared with the gold standard real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for diagnosis of COVID-19 cases. Design: A prospective COVID-19 screening and un-blinded verification of the performance of the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag test kit. Setting: The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test, Standard<sup>TM</sup> Q COVID-19 Ag kit was compared with the RT-PCR test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal samples for COVID-19 screening from persons and personnel attending a national youth camp orientation exercise during the second wave of the COVID-19 outbreak (January to March 2021) in Ondo state, southwest Nigeria. Participants: Three hundred fifty-one persons and personnel were screened for COVID-19 infection. Results: Of 351 respondents screened, 68 (19.4%) were positive, and 264 (75.2%) were negative for both COVID-19 Ag RDT and RT-PCR assay. The rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection test’s sensitivity and specificity were 78.16% (95% CI = 68.02% - 86.31%) and 100.0% (95% CI = 98.61% - 100.0%), respectively and the diagnostic accuracy was 94.59% (95% CI: 92 - 97). Respondents that were symptomatic had a higher test sensitivity of 78.6% (49.2 - 95.3) compared to those without symptoms 78.1% (66.9 - 86.9) (p Conclusions: Our study shows evidence that Standard<sup>TM</sup> Q COVID-19 Ag kit can be an appropriate rapid antigen test that could be used to screen for positive COVID-19 tests to guide decision-making for clinical management of persons infected with COVID-19, especially for closed settings and other clinical care settings.
