Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) po... more Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) popularly called COVID-19 emerged. The disease is associated with asymptomatic, mild to severe respiratory symptoms. Use of Vaccine is essential in its control and in Bonny Island, the AstraZeneca chAdOx 1 novel Coronavirus 2019 vaccine was used. Study objective is to determine the effectiveness of this vaccine in preventing infection and symptoms associated with the virus on residents of Bonny Island. Method: Study is a facility based cross-sectional study, conducted between May and October 2021, at General Hospital Bonny, a COVID 19 testing and vaccination center. Study population were respondents who had previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 that visited the facility for COVID-19 PCR test. All eligible respondents were enlisted into the study until the sample size of 623 was achieved. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics and medi...
Background: Knowledge is said to determine a behavioral change as well as the practice of good he... more Background: Knowledge is said to determine a behavioral change as well as the practice of good health. Was the knowledge of COVID-19 able to bring about positive behavioral changes and practices among the populace? This study assessed the knowledge of COVID-19, the practice of preventive measures as well as their predictors. Methodology: Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on knowledge of COVID-19 and the practice of WHO COVID-19 preventive measures. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Categorical data were analyzed and reported as means, standard deviation, and frequency. Binary logistic regression was done to determine predictors. Results: Nine out of ten participants knew that a virus caused COVID-19 and that it could be transmitted by close contact; however, 3% felt it was a spiritual attack. Most participants knew COVID-19 is transmittable through talking (83.2%), coughing (95%), sneezing (93.2%), an...
Background: Monkey pox (Mpox) is a zoonotic viral illness that is endemic to Africa. In contrast ... more Background: Monkey pox (Mpox) is a zoonotic viral illness that is endemic to Africa. In contrast to earlier years, the current Mpox outbreak has had an unusually rapid worldwide spread in terms of the number of cases, and most of these cases were among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice of infection prevention, and stigma of Mpox disease among members of the MSM community. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design. A self-administered questionnaire was given to 498 respondents. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 30 years; twenty-three (4.6%) of the total respondents identified themselves as female gender. Urban dwellers were 344 (69.1%). Respondents had a good knowledge of both Mpox disease and transmission; an average knowledge of Mpox symptoms; and an average attitude towards prevention and the practice of prevention of Mpox. Age was found to be significantly associated with knowledge of transmission (p-value...
Introduction: Early detection and management of community acquired Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) can ... more Introduction: Early detection and management of community acquired Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) can reduce associated morbidity and mortality particularly in low and low middle-income countries where infrastructure for laboratory tests is limited and renal replacement therapy is largely unavailable. We have established a collaborative project between the Renal Unit of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and the Renal Department of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, supported by the International Society of Nephrology aiming at investigating the use of point of care (POC) Creatinine (Cr) for early identification and management of community acquired AKI. The first part of the study evaluated the accuracy of POC Cr technology by comparison with the central laboratory standard Cr assay used at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and showed good overall correlation with mean bias of 27.2 umol/L concluding that POC Cr > 150 umol/L reflects AKI in the absence of known chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here we present the second part of the study investigating the use of POC Cr in the Emergency Department (ED) and the third part, that was formulated with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing the POC Cr technology in the COVID-19 isolation centres. Methods: The second part of this study was conducted at the ED of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) between January and December 2020. Adult patients were screened by Nephrology residents with POC Cr using a capillary sample (fingerstick) with the NOVA Stasensor Xpress Cr analyser if there was clinical suspicion of community acquired AKI. The third part of this study was that of the use of POC Cr as screening tool to evaluate AKI in COVID-19 patients at 2 COVID-19 isolation centres in Rivers state. Data were extracted from the case notes of the patients and a proforma designed for the study. Results: In the second stage, between January and December 2020, 53 patients aged 48±19 with clinical suspicion of community acquired AKI were screened with POC Cr in the ED;45.3% were females, 5.7% had known chronic kidney disease and 75.5% had suspected infection and/or hypovolaemia. 21 out of 53 patients (39.6%) had POC Cr > 150 umol/L and 18 out 50 (36%) were attributed to AKI. In the third stage, 69 patients aged 38±14 diagnosed with COVID-19 were screened irrespective of symptoms. 21.7% were females and 1.4% had known CKD. 8 out of 61 (11.6%) had POC Cr > 150 umol/L attributed to AKI. COVID-19 associated AKI was associated with older age, higher respiratory rate, lower oxygen saturations and higher systolic blood pressure (55±11 vs 35±12 p <.001, 26±7 vs 21±2 p <.001, 88%±7 vs 97±3 p <.001 and 141±12 vs 124±15 p 0.002 respectively). Conclusions: POC Cr technology detected AKI in one third of patients with high-risk clinical presentation and can be a valuable and possibly cost-effective tool to assist clinical decision making regarding early interventions and triage decisions in the ED and in the community setting. In patients diagnosed with COVID-19, AKI was present in 1 out of 10 of patients irrespective of symptoms and was associated with clinical observations indicating disease severity. Conflict of interest Potential conflict of interest: I declare that the point of care creatinine device was provided by Nova in support of early detection and management of AKI.
Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research
Background: COVID-19 prompted an early and sustained worldwide public health response. Its procli... more Background: COVID-19 prompted an early and sustained worldwide public health response. Its proclivity for rapid transmission and relatively high fatality rate across global regions prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to proclaim it a global pandemic. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence, and factors associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among students in private universities in Rivers State. Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study Aims: To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and its associated factors among private university students. Materials and Methods: 431 participants were tested for SARS CoV-2 using GeneXpert Dx System's reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Self-administered questionnaires were also distributed to elicit responses from these participants. Descriptive statistics (percentages and proportions) were used to report findings. Results: A response rate of ...
Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) po... more Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) popularly called COVID-19 emerged. The disease is associated with asymptomatic, mild to severe respiratory symptoms. Use of Vaccine is essential in its control and in Bonny Island, the AstraZeneca chAdOx 1 novel Coronavirus 2019 vaccine was used. Study objective is to determine the effectiveness of this vaccine in preventing infection and symptoms associated with the virus on residents of Bonny Island. Method: Study is a facility based cross-sectional study, conducted between May and October 2021, at General Hospital Bonny, a COVID 19 testing and vaccination center. Study population were respondents who had previously been vaccinated for Covid-19 that visited the facility for COVID-19 PCR test. All eligible respondents were enlisted into the study until the sample size of 623 was achieved. Interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics and medi...
Background: Knowledge is said to determine a behavioral change as well as the practice of good he... more Background: Knowledge is said to determine a behavioral change as well as the practice of good health. Was the knowledge of COVID-19 able to bring about positive behavioral changes and practices among the populace? This study assessed the knowledge of COVID-19, the practice of preventive measures as well as their predictors. Methodology: Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data on knowledge of COVID-19 and the practice of WHO COVID-19 preventive measures. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Categorical data were analyzed and reported as means, standard deviation, and frequency. Binary logistic regression was done to determine predictors. Results: Nine out of ten participants knew that a virus caused COVID-19 and that it could be transmitted by close contact; however, 3% felt it was a spiritual attack. Most participants knew COVID-19 is transmittable through talking (83.2%), coughing (95%), sneezing (93.2%), an...
Background: Monkey pox (Mpox) is a zoonotic viral illness that is endemic to Africa. In contrast ... more Background: Monkey pox (Mpox) is a zoonotic viral illness that is endemic to Africa. In contrast to earlier years, the current Mpox outbreak has had an unusually rapid worldwide spread in terms of the number of cases, and most of these cases were among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM). The study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, practice of infection prevention, and stigma of Mpox disease among members of the MSM community. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional design. A self-administered questionnaire was given to 498 respondents. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 30 years; twenty-three (4.6%) of the total respondents identified themselves as female gender. Urban dwellers were 344 (69.1%). Respondents had a good knowledge of both Mpox disease and transmission; an average knowledge of Mpox symptoms; and an average attitude towards prevention and the practice of prevention of Mpox. Age was found to be significantly associated with knowledge of transmission (p-value...
Introduction: Early detection and management of community acquired Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) can ... more Introduction: Early detection and management of community acquired Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) can reduce associated morbidity and mortality particularly in low and low middle-income countries where infrastructure for laboratory tests is limited and renal replacement therapy is largely unavailable. We have established a collaborative project between the Renal Unit of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and the Renal Department of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, supported by the International Society of Nephrology aiming at investigating the use of point of care (POC) Creatinine (Cr) for early identification and management of community acquired AKI. The first part of the study evaluated the accuracy of POC Cr technology by comparison with the central laboratory standard Cr assay used at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and showed good overall correlation with mean bias of 27.2 umol/L concluding that POC Cr > 150 umol/L reflects AKI in the absence of known chronic kidney disease (CKD). Here we present the second part of the study investigating the use of POC Cr in the Emergency Department (ED) and the third part, that was formulated with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing the POC Cr technology in the COVID-19 isolation centres. Methods: The second part of this study was conducted at the ED of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) between January and December 2020. Adult patients were screened by Nephrology residents with POC Cr using a capillary sample (fingerstick) with the NOVA Stasensor Xpress Cr analyser if there was clinical suspicion of community acquired AKI. The third part of this study was that of the use of POC Cr as screening tool to evaluate AKI in COVID-19 patients at 2 COVID-19 isolation centres in Rivers state. Data were extracted from the case notes of the patients and a proforma designed for the study. Results: In the second stage, between January and December 2020, 53 patients aged 48±19 with clinical suspicion of community acquired AKI were screened with POC Cr in the ED;45.3% were females, 5.7% had known chronic kidney disease and 75.5% had suspected infection and/or hypovolaemia. 21 out of 53 patients (39.6%) had POC Cr > 150 umol/L and 18 out 50 (36%) were attributed to AKI. In the third stage, 69 patients aged 38±14 diagnosed with COVID-19 were screened irrespective of symptoms. 21.7% were females and 1.4% had known CKD. 8 out of 61 (11.6%) had POC Cr > 150 umol/L attributed to AKI. COVID-19 associated AKI was associated with older age, higher respiratory rate, lower oxygen saturations and higher systolic blood pressure (55±11 vs 35±12 p <.001, 26±7 vs 21±2 p <.001, 88%±7 vs 97±3 p <.001 and 141±12 vs 124±15 p 0.002 respectively). Conclusions: POC Cr technology detected AKI in one third of patients with high-risk clinical presentation and can be a valuable and possibly cost-effective tool to assist clinical decision making regarding early interventions and triage decisions in the ED and in the community setting. In patients diagnosed with COVID-19, AKI was present in 1 out of 10 of patients irrespective of symptoms and was associated with clinical observations indicating disease severity. Conflict of interest Potential conflict of interest: I declare that the point of care creatinine device was provided by Nova in support of early detection and management of AKI.
Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research
Background: COVID-19 prompted an early and sustained worldwide public health response. Its procli... more Background: COVID-19 prompted an early and sustained worldwide public health response. Its proclivity for rapid transmission and relatively high fatality rate across global regions prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to proclaim it a global pandemic. This study is aimed at determining the prevalence, and factors associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among students in private universities in Rivers State. Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study Aims: To determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and its associated factors among private university students. Materials and Methods: 431 participants were tested for SARS CoV-2 using GeneXpert Dx System's reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Self-administered questionnaires were also distributed to elicit responses from these participants. Descriptive statistics (percentages and proportions) were used to report findings. Results: A response rate of ...
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