ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Breast Cancer has been known to be the most common cancer and second principal cause of cancer death in women. However, the adherence to recommended breast cancer screening guidelines is low especially in Africa. OBJECTIVE: It may be necessary to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of breast cancer screening among nurses who are in good position to educate people. METHODS: A cross sectional study of 183 nurses was carried out in Lagos University Teaching Hospital, using a close ended questionnaire assessing information on demographic variables, awareness, knowledge and attitude towards breast cancer. RESULTS: The results revealed 100% rate of awareness of breast cancer although 32% of the respondents knew not that breast cancer could be inherited. The major source (76%) of their information about breast cancer was from health professionals. Among the respondents 96% knew self breast examination while 41% knew clinical breast examination as screening method. Eighty two percent of the respondents thought self breast examination should be carried out monthly while very few subscribed to clinical breast examination. CONCLUSION: The studied population has good knowledge of breast cancer, its symptoms and screening methods. However, they lack adequate knowledge of the risk factors and only few practiced clinical breast examination. Thus, there is need for educational intervention to enhance knowledge of the risk factors and the need for clinical breast examination.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/diagnosis , Early Detection of Cancer , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Nurses , Adult , Breast Self-Examination , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Hospitals, Teaching , Humans , Male , Mammography , Middle Aged , Nigeria , Socioeconomic Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Chloroquine (CQ) resistance in Plasmodium falciparum contributes to increasing malaria-attributable morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite a change in drug policy, continued prescription of CQ did not abate. Therefore the therapeutic efficacy of CQ in uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients was assessed in a standard 28-day protocol in 116 children aged between six and 120 months in Osogbo, Southwest Nigeria. Parasitological and clinical assessments of response to treatment showed that 72 (62.1%) of the patients were cured and 44 (37.9%) failed the CQ treatment. High initial parasite density and young age were independent predictors for early treatment failure. Out of the 44 patients that failed CQ, 24 received amodiaquine + sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (AQ+SP) and 20 received chlorpheniramine + chloroquine (CH+CQ) combinations. Mean fever clearance time in those treated with AQ+SP was not significantly different from those treated with CH+CQ (p = 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean parasite density of the two groups. The cure rate for AQ+SP group was 92% while those of CH+CQ was 85%. There was a significant difference in parasite clearance time (p = 0.01) between the two groups. The 38% treatment failure for CQ reported in this study is higher than the 10% recommended by World Health Organization in other to effect change in antimalarial treatment policy. Hence we conclude that CQ can no more be solely relied upon for the treatment of falciparum malaria in Osogbo, Nigeria. AQ+SP and CH+CQ are effective in the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria and may be considered as useful alternative drugs in the absence of artemisinin-based combination therapies.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/administration & dosage , Histamine H1 Antagonists/administration & dosage , Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Amodiaquine/administration & dosage , Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Chloroquine/administration & dosage , Chlorpheniramine/administration & dosage , Clinical Protocols , Drug Combinations , Drug Resistance , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Humans , Infant , Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology , Male , Nigeria , Pyrimethamine/administration & dosage , Sulfadoxine/administration & dosage , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Chloroquine (CQ) resistance in Plasmodium falciparum contributes to increasing malaria-attributable morbidity and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite a change in drug policy, continued prescription of CQ did not abate. Therefore the therapeutic efficacy of CQ in uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients was assessed in a standard 28-day protocol in 116 children aged between six and 120 months in Osogbo, Southwest Nigeria. Parasitological and clinical assessments of response to treatment showed that 72 (62.1 percent) of the patients were cured and 44 (37.9 percent) failed the CQ treatment. High initial parasite density and young age were independent predictors for early treatment failure. Out of the 44 patients that failed CQ, 24 received amodiaquine + sulphadoxine/pyrimethamine (AQ+SP) and 20 received chlorpheniramine + chloroquine (CH+CQ) combinations. Mean fever clearance time in those treated with AQ+SP was not significantly different from those treated with CH+CQ (p = 0.05). There was no significant difference in the mean parasite density of the two groups. The cure rate for AQ+SP group was 92 percent while those of CH+CQ was 85 percent. There was a significant difference in parasite clearance time (p = 0.01) between the two groups. The 38 percent treatment failure for CQ reported in this study is higher than the 10 percent recommended by World Health Organization in other to effect change in antimalarial treatment policy. Hence we conclude that CQ can no more be solely relied upon for the treatment of falciparum malaria in Osogbo, Nigeria. AQ+SP and CH+CQ are effective in the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria and may be considered as useful alternative drugs in the absence of artemisinin-based combination therapies.
Subject(s)
Animals , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Male , Antimalarials/administration & dosage , Histamine H1 Antagonists/administration & dosage , Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy , Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects , Amodiaquine/administration & dosage , Clinical Protocols , Chloroquine/administration & dosage , Chlorpheniramine/administration & dosage , Drug Combinations , Drug Resistance , Drug Therapy, Combination , Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology , Nigeria , Pyrimethamine/administration & dosage , Sulfadoxine/administration & dosage , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Irrational use of injectable antimalarial is commonplace in developing countries. This descriptive survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of injectable antimalarials use and factors related to this practice in selected health facilities in Ilorin, Nigeria. A total of 356 outpatients were interviewed in the selected health facilities and available clinical records checked. Awareness of both oral and injectable antimalarials is fairly high among the respondents. Injectable antimalarial was the most preferred form by the patients. Request for injectable antimalarial was significantly more among educated patients and those attending private clinics and health centers. Among respondents 90.3% had ever used injectable antimalarial. Use of injectable antimalarial irrespective of clinical indications is common practice. Rational practices in the prescription of antimalarial and promotion of oral therapy need to be widely encouraged among health workers in developing countries. This will reduce the hazards associated with unnecessary injections and also reduce cost
