Assessment of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people living with HIV/AIDS: a single-centered study

Introduction: as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are distributed and administered globally, hesitancy towards the vaccine hinders the immunisation of a significant number of vulnerable populations, such as people living with HIV/AIDS. Hence, this study aims to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) attending clinicaloutpatient follow-up at State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri (SSHM), Borno State, Nigeria. Methods: a hospital-based cross-sectional study design was conducted to assess COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among 344 PLHIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) at the United States President´s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) clinic in SSHM from 4 th January to 25th February 2022. Data were collected using a structured and pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire. The results were presented using frequencies and percentages. The factors that are associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy were identified using the Chi-square statistical test. Results: among the 344 respondents of the study, only 88 (26.6%) received the COVID-19 vaccine. Out of the 256 respondents that did not receive the vaccine, only 10.5% (27/256) are willing to be vaccinated, while the majority; 57.8% (148/256) are not willing to be vaccinated and 31.7% (81/256) of the respondents are uncertain, thus resulting in a hesitation rate of 89.45%. There was no statistically significant association between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the study´s independent variables; where p-value is greater than 0.05. Conclusion: hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccine is high among PLHIV and there is no any statistically significant association between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the independent variables of the study where p-value is greater than 0.05. Hence, it is necessary to develop targeted strategies to boost vaccine uptake among this vulnerable population.

Outpatient prescribing and antibiotic use for children in a tertiary hospital

Background: Rational prescribing is essential to prevent medication errors, antibiotic resistance, and treatment failure. Assessment of prescribing practices helps monitor the utilization of medicines. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescribing pattern and utilization of antibiotics for children attending outpatient units. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, retrospective study of outpatient pediatric prescriptions received at the pharmacy of a Nigerian teaching hospital, using the World Health Organization (WHO) core prescribing indicators and Index of Rational Drug Prescribing (IRDP). Prescription information for a 2­year period was collected on a standardized prescribing form. Computer data entry was made into Microsoft Excel 2010 spreadsheet. Data analysis was done using SPSS Version 20 (IBM, Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results were compared with the WHO core prescribing indicators and presented as means, frequencies, proportions, contingency tables, and charts comparing with published standards. Results: There were 3445 eligible prescriptions, with mean child age of 3.2 (±2.9) years. An average of 2.4 (±1.6) drugs were prescribed per encounter, with 48.2% written in generic names. Prescriptions containing oral antibiotics and antibiotic injections constituted 50.2% and 41.2%, respectively. Medicines prescribed were available in the essential medicines list in 95.5% of cases. The IRDP was 2.98 against the ideal of 5. Majority (71.3%) of antibiotic­containing prescriptions had one antibiotic prescribed while ß­lactam penicillins and cephalosporins were the most prescribed, with ampicillin/cloxacillin being the most common combination. Conclusion: Irrational prescribing and inappropriate antibiotic use were prevalent in this tertiary hospital. Similar studies are needed to describe the trends in all Nigerian tertiary hospitals, along with retraining on rational prescribing