Browsing by Author "Henry O. Sawyerr"

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    Geospatial Modeled Analysis and Laboratory Based Technology for Determination of Malaria Risk and Burden in a Rural Community
    (International Journal of TROPICAL DISEASE & Health, 2020) Oluwasogo A. Olalubi; Gabriel Salako; Oluwasegun T. Adetunde; Henry O. Sawyerr; M. Ajao; Ernest Tambo
    Introduction: Geographical Information System (GIS) has proven to be very useful for large scale mapping of ecosystems, land use and cover, disease prevalence, risk mapping and forecasting. GIS establish relationship or link between vector borne diseases and associated environmental factors thereby providing explanation for spatial distribution pattern, possible causes of diseases outbreak and implications on the community. Aims and Objectives: Our approach in this study was to define and identify areas and places that are exposed to Malaria risk through proximity analysis and to compare geospatial risk with laboratory diagnosed malaria epidemiology. Methodology: Garmin GPS was used to capture the geographic coordinates of six (6) selected settlements and overlaid with georeferenced and processed satellite images in the study area. GIS modeling was performed on risk factors using weighted overlay technique to produce malaria risk map. A total of One hundred and thirty-five (135) vulnerable individuals were diagnosed for Malaria with light Olympus microscope and rapid diagnostic kit (RDT). Data were entered and analyzed using R-Package for Statistical Computing and Graphics. Results: Proximity to malaria risk follows relatively the order Apodu > Central Malete > Elemere > KWASU Campus > Gbugudu. Apodu being the largest place with proximity to malaria risk, within 500 m radius. The risk index increases as one move away from the center of the settlement. The possible explanation for this high risk could be the presence of pond / lake in Apodu. This is a good breeding site for mosquito couple with dense vegetation as one move away from the centre of the settlements. Unlike Apodu, Gbugudu was at medium risk at 100 m buffer (60%) but the risk index decreases as one move away from the settlement centre. The absence of thick vegetation and presence of numerous open farms and partly cultivated farmlands on the eastern part could have been responsible for reduction in risk index. Dense vegetation and ponds were observed within Apodu, while Central Malete was built up with dense vegetation are possible reasons for the high risk index, while settlements within 1 km radius around KWASU campus recorded lower risk index possibly due to low vegetation. The geospatial malaria risk analysis correlates with the laboratory based test results. RDT kits and light microscopy results showed Apodu having the highest malaria prevalence with 46% and 58.7% followed by Elemere 41% and 30.3% respectively. When calculating prevalence by aggregating results across all communities, Apodu still had the highest malaria prevalence for the whole region. RDT and light microscopy results combined for all communities had Apodu with malaria prevalence of 21.48% and 27.4% followed by Elemere with 11.85% and 12.5% respectively. Gbugudu had the least malaria prevalence within the region with 3.7% and 7.4% respectively. Discussion and Conclusion: Findings of this study showed dense vegetation and ponds within Apodu, Elemere and Central Malete served as good breeding site for mosquitoes and were responsible for the high-risk index at these areas. Settlements within 1 km radius around KWASU campus recorded lower index possibly due to low vegetation. Results from this study indicate that the degree of malaria parasitaemia in the three major settlements correlates directly with the remote sensing data.
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    Response of undergraduates to institutional emergency strategies on Ebola virus disease in Kwara State University, Nigeria
    (Journal of Behavioral Health www.scopemed.org, 2017-01) Oluwasogo A. Olalubi; Abdulrasheed A. Adio; Shola K. Babatunde; Henry O. Sawyerr; Taofiq Ajara; Ernest Tambo
    Background: The challenge of Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak prompted the need for the development and implementation of strategic alertness and emergency response intervention in prevention and containment of future threats and epidemics. Objective: This work was designed to assess knowledge, perception, attitude, behavioral practices, risk vulnerability, and effectiveness of some selected surveillance interventions strategic responses and measures among undergraduate students in prevention and containment of EVD epidemics. Also to analyze the associations among root causes, vulnerability, risk factors, mode of spread, symptoms, prevention, and response patterns. Materials and Methods: The study employed a carefully-structured, closed-ended, interviewer-administered, paper-based questionnaire designed to capture information on sociodemographic characteristics, active knowledge on EVD, perception, behavioral attitude and responses from undergraduate students to selected strategic surveillance and intervention measures toward containment of EVD in Kwara State University, Nigeria. This is expected to enhance qualitative understanding of perceived misconceptions, and bottlenecks in relation to EVD root causes, mode of transmission, prevention and control programs and strategies. Data were entered and analyzed using IBM® SPSS® Statistics version 22. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequencies and percentages, and presented graphically using bar graphs and pie charts. Data were analyzed further with Pearson’s Chi-square test to determine associations between variables from which inferences were drawn and reported at a significance level of P < 0.05. Results: Based on respondents’ general EVD causes and vulnerability risk factors, handling of corpse (87.3%) was most common, handshake with infected person (95.8%) was the most common mode of spread while regular hand washing with soap and water remained the most pronounced preventive measure. Practices of hand washing after toilet use (93.4%) was most common of the attitude of respondents to EVD, while (38.0%) will relate with EVD survivor. Use of hand sanitizer (83.6%) was a positive response to on - campus EVD intervention. 188 (88.3%) of the respondents’ agreed that EVD presents varieties of signs and symptoms, notable among such includes vomiting, diarrhea and dysentery (34.0%); fever/high body temperature and headache (19.1%); profuse bleeding from nose, mouth and other parts of the body (17.0%); joint body and muscle pain (10.1%). Students at higher levels of study and those in the Colleges of Pure and Applied Sciences and Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Kwara State University tended to have significantly higher knowledge levels at P < 0.05. Conclusion: These findings serve as a prototype in EVD and other emerging epidemics awareness campaigns and community social mobilization activities, institutional and community health education and promotion in upholding and sustaining behavioral, cultural, social and ecological measures and guidelines imperative in guiding evidence-based EVD threat and epidemics knowledge and response delivery programs and best practices in the local setting, Africa and epidemics prone territories.
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    The Socioeconomic/Demographic Determinants of Public Perception about Climate Change in Ekiti State of Nigeria
    (2017) Biola K. Badmos; Henry O. Sawyerr; Samson O. Awopeju; Gabriel A. Salako; Abdulrasheed A. Adio; Atinuke R. Oyewumi