Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is the seventh among the WHO’s top 10 threats to global public health, whi... more Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is the seventh among the WHO’s top 10 threats to global public health, which has continued to perpetuate the transmission of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) in Africa. Consequently, this paper systematically reviewed COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates (VARs)—including the vaccine uptake and vaccination intention—in Africa from 2020 to 2022, compared the rates within the five African regions and determined the context-specific causes of VH in Africa. Generally, COVID-19 VARs ranged from 21.0% to 97.9% and 8.2% to 92.0% with mean rates of 59.8 ± 3.8% and 58.0 ± 2.4% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Southern and eastern African regions had the top two VARs of 83.5 ± 6.3% and 68.9 ± 6.6% in 2021, and 64.2 ± 4.6% and 61.2 ± 5.1% in 2022, respectively. Based on population types, healthcare workers had a marginal increase in their mean COVID-19 VARs from 55.5 ± 5.6% in 2021 to 60.8 ± 5.3% in 2022. In other populations, the mean VARs decreased from 62.7 ± 5.2% in 20...
Neoplasms constitute a major health challenge in animals and man worldwide. However, to the best ... more Neoplasms constitute a major health challenge in animals and man worldwide. However, to the best of our knowledge, the prevalence of neoplasms in companion animals in Abuja, Nigeria, has not been determined. This study was therefore conducted to determine the prevalence of neoplasms in companion animals in Abuja, Nigeria. Case records from 2015 to 2020 from two renowned Veterinary Clinics in Abuja, were examined for cases of neoplasms. Data on the species, breed, sex, age, month and year of occurrence, organ(s) affected, methods of diagnosis, and treatment approach, were extracted and summarized into percentages. A total of 24 cases were recorded with 21 (87.5%) in dogs and 3 (12.5%) in cats. The highest prevalence of neoplasms was in German Shepherd (19.1%) followed by Boerboel (14.3%) and Caucasian (9.5%). In dogs, the prevalence of neoplasms was higher in males (57.1%) than females (42.9%), whereas in cats, the prevalence was higher in females (66.7%) than males (33.3%). The mean...
In spite of the increasing medical interest in Malassezia yeasts, the virulence factors of Malass... more In spite of the increasing medical interest in Malassezia yeasts, the virulence factors of Malassezia furfur causing bloodstream infections (BSI) were never investigated. Therefore, phospholipase (Pz), lipase (Lz), hemolysin (Hz), biofilm production, and in vitro antifungal susceptibility profiles were evaluated in M. furfur strains, isolated from both pityriasis versicolor (PV) patients (n = 18; Group 1) or from preterm infants BSI (n = 21; Group 2). All the test stains exhibited Pz activity, whereas 92.3% and 97.4% of strains exhibited Lz and Hz activities, respectively. Pz, Lz, and Hz activities were higher (i.e., lower values) within Group 1 strains (i.e., 0.48, 0.40, and 0.77) than those within Group 2 (i.e., 0.54, 0.54, and 0.81). The biofilm production was higher within Malassezia isolates from Group 2 (0.95 ± 0.3) than from Group 1 (0.72 ± 0.4). Itraconazole and posaconazole were the most active drugs against M. furfur, followed by amphotericin B and fluconazole. The minimum...
This study aims to investigate the effects of orally administered graded doses of hydro-methanol ... more This study aims to investigate the effects of orally administered graded doses of hydro-methanol stem extract from Anacardium occidentale (MSEAO) on the haematology and serum biochemistry of chickens. Forty, 8-weeks old cockerel chickens were randomly assigned into four groups (groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) of ten birds each. Groups 1, 2 and 3 received 3000, 1500 and 500 mg/kg body weight of MSEAO, respectively, while chickens in control group (group 4) were given drinking water placebo. Blood samples were collected from all chickens on day 0- and 48-hours post-treatment. Haematology and serum biochemistry were evaluated following standard procedures. The results showed that most of the haematological parameters in the treated groups did not differ significantly as compared to the control group. The serum biochemistry results showed that the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity ingroups 1 and 2 were significantly (P 0.05) lower than that ingroups 3 and 4. Serum uric acid levels ing...
Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is the seventh among the WHO’s top 10 threats to global public health, whi... more Vaccine hesitancy (VH) is the seventh among the WHO’s top 10 threats to global public health, which has continued to perpetuate the transmission of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) in Africa. Consequently, this paper systematically reviewed COVID-19 vaccine acceptance rates (VARs)—including the vaccine uptake and vaccination intention—in Africa from 2020 to 2022, compared the rates within the five African regions and determined the context-specific causes of VH in Africa. Generally, COVID-19 VARs ranged from 21.0% to 97.9% and 8.2% to 92.0% with mean rates of 59.8 ± 3.8% and 58.0 ± 2.4% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Southern and eastern African regions had the top two VARs of 83.5 ± 6.3% and 68.9 ± 6.6% in 2021, and 64.2 ± 4.6% and 61.2 ± 5.1% in 2022, respectively. Based on population types, healthcare workers had a marginal increase in their mean COVID-19 VARs from 55.5 ± 5.6% in 2021 to 60.8 ± 5.3% in 2022. In other populations, the mean VARs decreased from 62.7 ± 5.2% in 20...
Neoplasms constitute a major health challenge in animals and man worldwide. However, to the best ... more Neoplasms constitute a major health challenge in animals and man worldwide. However, to the best of our knowledge, the prevalence of neoplasms in companion animals in Abuja, Nigeria, has not been determined. This study was therefore conducted to determine the prevalence of neoplasms in companion animals in Abuja, Nigeria. Case records from 2015 to 2020 from two renowned Veterinary Clinics in Abuja, were examined for cases of neoplasms. Data on the species, breed, sex, age, month and year of occurrence, organ(s) affected, methods of diagnosis, and treatment approach, were extracted and summarized into percentages. A total of 24 cases were recorded with 21 (87.5%) in dogs and 3 (12.5%) in cats. The highest prevalence of neoplasms was in German Shepherd (19.1%) followed by Boerboel (14.3%) and Caucasian (9.5%). In dogs, the prevalence of neoplasms was higher in males (57.1%) than females (42.9%), whereas in cats, the prevalence was higher in females (66.7%) than males (33.3%). The mean...
In spite of the increasing medical interest in Malassezia yeasts, the virulence factors of Malass... more In spite of the increasing medical interest in Malassezia yeasts, the virulence factors of Malassezia furfur causing bloodstream infections (BSI) were never investigated. Therefore, phospholipase (Pz), lipase (Lz), hemolysin (Hz), biofilm production, and in vitro antifungal susceptibility profiles were evaluated in M. furfur strains, isolated from both pityriasis versicolor (PV) patients (n = 18; Group 1) or from preterm infants BSI (n = 21; Group 2). All the test stains exhibited Pz activity, whereas 92.3% and 97.4% of strains exhibited Lz and Hz activities, respectively. Pz, Lz, and Hz activities were higher (i.e., lower values) within Group 1 strains (i.e., 0.48, 0.40, and 0.77) than those within Group 2 (i.e., 0.54, 0.54, and 0.81). The biofilm production was higher within Malassezia isolates from Group 2 (0.95 ± 0.3) than from Group 1 (0.72 ± 0.4). Itraconazole and posaconazole were the most active drugs against M. furfur, followed by amphotericin B and fluconazole. The minimum...
This study aims to investigate the effects of orally administered graded doses of hydro-methanol ... more This study aims to investigate the effects of orally administered graded doses of hydro-methanol stem extract from Anacardium occidentale (MSEAO) on the haematology and serum biochemistry of chickens. Forty, 8-weeks old cockerel chickens were randomly assigned into four groups (groups 1, 2, 3 and 4) of ten birds each. Groups 1, 2 and 3 received 3000, 1500 and 500 mg/kg body weight of MSEAO, respectively, while chickens in control group (group 4) were given drinking water placebo. Blood samples were collected from all chickens on day 0- and 48-hours post-treatment. Haematology and serum biochemistry were evaluated following standard procedures. The results showed that most of the haematological parameters in the treated groups did not differ significantly as compared to the control group. The serum biochemistry results showed that the serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity ingroups 1 and 2 were significantly (P 0.05) lower than that ingroups 3 and 4. Serum uric acid levels ing...
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