Burden of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Scoping Review.

INTRODUCTION: With a varying annual incidence across populations, traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) remains a public health concern of utmost importance, especially in developing countries with an incidence rate ranging from 12.7 to 29.7 per million people and a postulated increase in the number of patients living with undesirable complications of this condition. It is against this background that we reviewed the literature to bring to light the epidemiology, burden, management, and outcomes of TSCIs across Africa. METHODS: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was used in this study. We included descriptive studies with data on the incidence, presentation, management, and outcomes of TSCIs in African surgical centers. We conducted our search on PubMed and OVID Embase and supplemented it with an extensive review of African Journal Online and Google Scholar. RESULTS: Thirteen papers were identified from our search. Most papers were from Nigeria (n = 4) and Tanzania (n = 3). In total, our review included 1332 persons across the different centers. There were more males than females (n = 1029/1332, 72%). The most common etiology was road traffic accidents, constituting 44%, while falls and other mechanisms like assault and sports injuries had 28% each. The incidence of TSCI varied from 13 per million population per year in Botswana to 75.6 per million population per year in South Africa. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of the traumatic condition in certain parts of Africa is significantly higher than in other parts of the world, suggesting the need for an urgent call to action regarding addressing its key drivers.

Antenatal-care knowledge among women of reproductive age group in Ido Ekiti, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality plagues much of the low- and low-middle-income countries. There were 303,000 maternal deaths in 2015, representing an overall global maternal mortality ratio of 216 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries. The knowledge of antenatal care is an important factor affecting maternal mortality rates. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the extent of knowledge of antenatal-care services among women of reproductive age in Ido Ekiti, a rural town in South West Nigeria. STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 299 women in the reproductive age group, ie, from the ages of 18 to 49 years. Data were collected with a set of self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 25. This study was conducted in Ido Ekiti, a town in the Ido-Osi local government area. RESULTS: Most respondents were between 31 and 40 years of age. Most respondents (96%) were educated. 95.6% of the participants in this study were aware of antenatal-care services. 98.7% of the respondents acknowledged that weight and height measurements, abdominal examination, blood tests, and administration of folic acids were carried out during antenatal-care visits. 97.3% had excellent knowledge of the service. CONCLUSION: Most respondents were aware of antenatal care and had excellent knowledge of its components. This is indeed a positive finding and is likely because of the high literacy levels, access to electronic media, and the location of 3 public health facilities in the town. Continuous education of women by relevant stakeholders and policymakers on antenatal care should be ensured to maintain the current state and replicate similar findings in other rural areas across Africa.