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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). Mpox infection was evaluated as a low-risk event by most responses, but the existence of both community stigma and self-stigma if infected were rated as high. Conclusion: The knowledge of Mpox disease and its transmission was good, while the attitude and practice of infection prevention was average. However, the existence of community and self-stigmatization was high; which perhaps may result in the possibility of an iceberg phenomenon of Mpox disease in the MSM community. Community sensitization, advocacy, and key population-friendly services are recommended for the MSM community to improve their general access to healthcare and reduce stigmatisation.

Mpox presents typically with macular papular body rashes with similar-looking sores in genital or oral areas. It may be missed, or wrongly managed as sexually transmitted infections (STI), especially in settings where symptom-based treatment practices are sufficient for care. We describe a 40-year-old cisgender male, heterosexual Nigerian who developed some rash in the genital region associated with penile swelling. It was suspected to be syphilis and managed with presumptive antibiotics. Laboratory investigation (PCR) confirmed that it was a Mpox disease, and VDRLT was negative. Notably, in this case, the early symptoms were a paradigm case of Mpox disease presenting as an STI, which syndromically conformed more to an STI than the case definition for a suspected case of Mpox in our setting. Consequently, the expected early containment activities were delayed. This increased the potential of further disease spread. An Update of the standard case definition as well as a reclassification of the disease as a possible STI is recommended for enhanced surveillance, increased case detection, and reduction in the burden of unrecognized cases.

Cholera is a potentially life-threatening public health menace caused by a gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium known as Vibrio cholerae. This study was an epidemiological investigation of the cholera outbreak in Degema local government area (LGA), Rivers State, Nigeria. An interventional epidemiological study was conducted in a rural community between December 2021 to February 2022. All suspected cases were identified using the World Health Organization (WHO) case definition of acute watery diarrhoea. The standard outbreak investigation procedures (active case search, case management, water sanitation, hygiene) were implemented. The cholera outbreak observed two waves within an at-risk population of 373,071 in the affected LGA. Of the 35 line-listed suspected cases (male-20 versus female-15), the highest frequency was observed among those aged 0-5 years. The index case was reported on the 3rd of December in the 47th week of 2021 and abated by the 49th week, while the 2nd wave began in the 1st week of 2022 and abated by the 6th week. The stool samples result revealed; six positives for RDT, while four samples were positive by microscopy. All patients received home-based treatment except for two cases that were managed at the healthcare facility. The attack and case fatality rates were 0.01, and 8% respectively. The Rivers State public health emergency operation centre deployed standard epidemiological interventions for the containment of acute watery diarrhoea (cholera) aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality; however, vaccines were not part of the response. The deployment of vaccines and provision of potable water will improve response outcomes.

Background: Destabilization of all educational activities, mixed impact on academic research and professional development, severe effect on the educational assessment system, and reduced employment opportunities, were some of the impacts recorded in the educational sector following the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychosocial impact of COVD-19 and COVID-19 test and results on returning clinical students in a Private Medical University in Port Harcourt in the first quarter of year 2021. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among returning clinical students in a private medical university. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from clinical students. Data was analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Results: A total of seventy-six (76) respondents who were medical students were involved in the study, with a 98.0% response rate. The impact of the pandemic was felt at home and in school. Study found that 49 students (64.5%) were dissatisfied with school work and twenty-two respondents (28.9%) were observed to be highly stressed while 9 students (11.8%) were observed to have no stress. The female respondents were more affected by the COVID-19 pandemic than their male colleagues. Conclusion: Assessment of the impact of COVID-19 disease and testing revealed that undergraduate clinical students were affected psychosocially in the pandemic. Respondents were observed to be highly stressed, and a few indicated incapacitating psychological distress. Therefore, psychosocial support of students should be built into response measures for future screening services.

The resurgence in monkey pox disease has posed a global health threat. Nigeria recorded increased number of reported monkey pox cases in 2017, with cases occurring in subsequent years. Notably, cases of monkey pox had been reported in western countries from an epidemiologically linked traveler with a travel history to Nigeria. The highest burden of cases of monkey pox is recorded in River state, Nigeria. Consequently, there is the need to examine the epidemiology of monkey pox according to time, place, person and geography in Rivers state. A retrospective analysis of monkey pox cases was conducted based on the data obtained from the Rivers State Disease Surveillance and Notification unit from January 2017-June 2022. A total of 112 suspected cases were reported during this period of which 49 (44%) were confirmed by laboratory diagnosis. Obio-Akpor (29) and Port Harcourt (9) Local Government Areas which make up the urban centers of the state recorded most cases of monkey pox. More males (36) were affected than females (10), and the age group mostly affected was from 20 to 29 years, however increased cases of monkey pox was found in the months of September to November in most of the years reviewed. Monkey pox is prevalent in Rivers state, although the pattern follows a declining trend. Therefore, the state government should put appropriate mechanisms in place to eradicate the disease.

Background: Despite progress made so far in identifying intervention models to improve drug use, irrational use of drugs has remained a serious global health problem. The study intends to determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on rational prescribing among prescribers in selected local government areas of Rivers State. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study that measured the effect of educational intervention on rational prescribing of drugs among prescribers in public health facilities in two selected Local Government Areas (LGA) of Rivers State: Ikwerre LGA (KELGA) which served as the control and Port Harcourt LGA (PHALGA) which served as the intervention by using cluster sampling with randomization. Paired data were analysed using McNemar’s Chi-square test and the paired t-test. The level of significance was set at P≤ 0.05. The EPI-INFO version 7.02 statistical software was used in the analysis. Results: Findings showed that the largest category of prescribers was nurse/midwives representing 48.61% and 44.4% in the intervention and control LGA respectively. There was an improvement in the knowledge and attitude of respondents in the facilities in the intervention LGA at one month and three months post-intervention (P

ObjectiveTo determine the illness severity and mortality among COVID-19-infected healthcare workers (HCWs).DesignA retrospective cohort study using population-level data. Secondary analysis was conducted on collated data from the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the State Ministry of Health, Rivers State, Nigeria. Data were gathered from the COVID-19 patient database of the PHEOC on demographics, place of work, illness severity and outcome.ParticipantsThe cohort included all documented HCWs with confirmed COVID-19 infection (diagnosed by PCR).Primary and secondary outcome measuresIllness severity defined as ‘hospitalisation required’ and treatment outcome labelled as ‘alive’ or ‘dead’ were the outcomes of interest.ResultsThe mean age was 43 years and 50.5% of the cohort were female. Of the 301 HCWs infected, 187 patients were symptomatic with 32 requiring hospitalisation. Seven infected HCWs died of their COVID-19 infection, resulting in a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 2.3%. Population proportions for age groups, case presentation and mortality, would be significantly greater than those seen in the study population. Health professionals made up 79.7% (240) of the study cohort, with 68.8% (165) of them working at the teaching hospitals; the association between HCWs and health facilities they worked in, was significant. Symptomatic cases were more inclined to progress to severe illness (χ(1)2=15.219,α=<0.0001;adjusted OR (aOR) 10.658, 95% CI 2.494 to 45.552); patients also had greater odds of dying from COVID-19 (χ(5)2=13.7,α=0.003;aOR 1.079, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.141) per year increase in age adjusted for sex, case class and illness severity.ConclusionsFrontl-ine HCWs are at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 infections. In Nigeria, there is a higher risk of experiencing severe illness if symptomatic while infected with COVID-19. Preventive strategies, proper education and awareness must be put in place to protect HCWs.ObjectiveTo determine the illness severity and mortality among COVID-19-infected HCWs.

Background As with any epidemic, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has evoked panic, fear and misconceptions. The risk communication pillar of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre is responding to the pandemic by facilitating correct and consistent information to enable the adoption of behaviours to prevent and control COVID-19. This study explored awareness, perception and practice of COVID-19 prevention among residents in Rivers State, Nigeria, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey among 1294 adult residents across all districts of the state. It employed an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was graded as excellent for scores of ≥80%, good for scores of 50–79% and poor for scores of Results The respondents were aged 18–80 y with an average age of 39.6 (SD=11.9) y. A total of 710 (54.9%) were male, 476 (36.8%) were unemployed with 685 (52.9%) having secondary education. The most common sources of information about COVID-19 were radio jingles (1102; 86.7%) and television adverts (940; 74.0%). Overall, 608 (47.0%) of the respondents had a poor knowledge of COVID-19. About 443 (34.9%) respondents believed they were unlikely to contract the virus. Only 505 (39.0%) of respondents washed all the critical parts of their hands correctly. Occupation (adjusted OR [AOR]=1.39, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.82, p=0.01), level of education (AOR=4.71, 95% CI 1.90 to 11.68, p Conclusions Broadcast media has a pivotal role to play in risk communication for behavioural change for the control of current and future epidemics in this population.

Objective The aim of this study was to describe and evaluate the impact of the programme intervention of the Rivers State Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) Surge, a collaboration between the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the State Ministry of Health, to increase HIV case-finding and ART access in Rivers State, the state with the largest ART gap among people living with HIV (PWH) in Nigeria. Design During April 2019-September 2020, the intervention included six specific strategies: using local government area-level ART gap analysis to guide case-finding; expanding targeted community testing; tailoring comprehensive key population HIV services; engaging HIV treatment programme stakeholders; synchronizing team efforts; and using near real-time data for programme action. Methods Weekly reported facility and community data on tests conducted, PWH diagnosed, and PWH initiated on ART were aggregated. The total number of PWH maintained on ART was reported quarterly. Results During May 2019-September 2020, the weekly number of newly diagnosed PWH initiated on ART supported by PEPFAR in Rivers State increased from 82 to 1723. During October 2019-September 2020, the monthly number of people screened for HIV testing eligibility in the community increased from 44 000 to 360 000. During April 2019-September 2020, the total number of PWH on ART supported by PEPFAR statewide increased by 3.8 times, from 26 041 to 99 733. Conclusion The strategies applied by HIV program stakeholders contributed to scale-up of PWH identification and ART linkage within the Rivers State ART Surge. Continued gains through time indicate the importance of the application of a quality improvement approach to maintain programme flexibility and effectiveness.

Background Knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention affect the effectiveness of healthcare workers in the pandemic response. This study assessed gaps in awareness, knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention among healthcare workers in Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey carried out six weeks into Rivers State response that commenced on February 20, 2020, in the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs). State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers used multistage sampling to recruit 555 healthcare workers for the survey. A self-designed structured interviewer-administered questionnaire built into the Open Data Kit application for android phones was used for data collection. Descriptive data analysis was done, and outputs presented as frequency and percentages. Results There was a total of 372 (67.0%) female respondents. Majority of study participants had tertiary education 453 (81.6%). The mean age of study participants was 40.6 years (Standard Deviation = 7.8 years). Furthermore, 285 (51.4%) were Community Health Workers, and had over ten years practicing experience 393 (70.8%). Most healthcare workers 554 (99.8%) had heard about Covid-19, through radio 539 (97.1%), and television 445 (80.2%) yet 213 (38.4%) respondents did not know that it is caused by a virus. Most respondents 415 (74.8%) had good knowledge about Covid-19. However, only 148 (26.7%) would refer suspected cases to a facility and only 365 (65.8%) respondents demonstrated the correct hand washing technique. Conclusion There are some gaps in health worker knowledge, attitude, perception, and practice of Covid-19 prevention. Interventions to bridge these gaps are needed for effective containment of this pandemic.

Background/aimsHealthcare workers (HCWs) are at an increased risk of infection and mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study determined the illness severity and mortality amongst COVID-19 infected healthcare workers.MethodsThe current study was a retrospective cohort study using population-level data. Secondary analysis was conducted on collated data from the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) at the State Ministry of Health. The cohort included all documented healthcare workers with confirmed COVID-19 infection (diagnosed by Polymerase Chain Reaction). Data were gathered from the COVID-19 patient database of the PHEOC, on demographics, place of work, illness severity and outcome. Descriptive statistics were reported on the cohort characteristics. Adjusted odds ratio was used to report the measure of association between illness severity and risk factors.ResultsThe mean age was 43 years and 50.5% of the cohort were female. Of the 301 healthcare workers, 187 patients were symptomatic with 32 requiring hospitalisation. From the available data, seven infected HCWs died of their COVID-19 infection, resulting in a case fatality ratio of 2.3%. A subgroup analysis was conducted on the health professionals infected –doctors (71.7%), nurses (27.3%), others (1%). Symptomatic cases were more inclined to progress to severe illness. Predictors of mortality assessed included age, sex, case class and illness severity. The logistic regression model was statistically significant, χ2(9) = 16.965, α = 0.049.ConclusionFrontline healthcare workers are at an increased risk of exposure to COVID-19 infections. In Nigeria, there is a higher risk of experiencing a severe disease if symptomatic while infected with COVID-19. It is imperative that preventive strategies, proper education, and awareness are put in place to protect healthcare workers.Summary BoxHealthcare workers as first responders, are vulnerable to workplace infections. It is manifest in the COVID-19 pandemic where deaths of healthcare workers resulted in further shortage of the already compromised human resource; consequently compromising effective healthcare delivery. As the pandemic progresses, studies have been conducted globally on this topic and scientific evidence continues to show higher mortality and disease severity of COVID-19. Nevertheless, it is important to understand the effect of COVID-19 on healthcare workers in Nigeria-a developing country.This study highlights the illness severity and mortality associated with COVID-19 among the study population; its results presented a higher case fatality rate than both national and subnational rates. The results also further emphasises the need to protect healthcare workers; ensure they are knowledgable in both infection prevention and control, and that the healthcare space is safe against nosocomial infectionsThe study adds to the scientific evidence on the severity and mortality associated with COVID-19 in Nigeria. A national research is needed to extrapolate the findings from this study to the nation. Hence, expatiate on the global fight against coronaviruses such as COVID-19.

Virologic outcome is the assessment of an human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV)-positive patient response antiretroviral therapy adherence using real-time polymerase chain reaction assays after two consecutive viral load measurements ≥3 months apart. This study aimed to assess the associated factors of virologic outcomes among cisgender groups of people living with HIV/AIDS attending a tertiary health facility in Rivers State, Nigeria. This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at the antiretroviral therapy clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital from September 2020 to November 2020. The systematic sampling technique was employed to select 1600 participants; females (800), and males (800). Data was collected using a 3-item structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Statistical package for social science (SPSS) version-25 was used to analyze data. Test of association was done using Chi-square, Fisher’s exact and spearman rho test and set at a significance level of p

This study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to evaluate the direct effect of sex and age on stroke types and outcomes in Tertiary Health Facilities in Rives State, Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional retrospective hospital-based research that utilized specific stroke patients’ information between 2015-2019. The study obtained the sex and age, stroke type (ischemic/hemorrhagic), and outcomes (No disability/disability/death) from the records. The retrieved data was Microsoft Excel (2016), then analyzed using SPSS (version 21, Amos) and STATGRAPHICS centurion (Stat Point Tech., Inc.). From the result, out of the recorded 1916 stroke patients, 1229 (64.1%) were female, while 687 (35.9%) were males. The older adults (>55 years) had more recorded cases (n=1289) than young adults (ages 18–35 years; n=77) and middle-aged adults (ages 36–55 years, n=550). The SEM results showed that age was significantly associated with stroke type (P

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) is the causative agent for COVID‑19...

This study investigated the PAH levels in Wistar rats exposed to ambient air of the Port Harcourt metropolis. Twenty Wistar rats imported from a nonpolluted city (Enugu) were exposed to both indoor and outdoor air. Following the IACUC regulation, baseline data were obtained from 4 randomly selected rats, while the remaining 16 rats (8 each for indoor and outdoor) were left till day 90. Blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture, and the PAH levels were determined using Gas Chromatography Flame-Ionization Detector (GC-FID). GraphPad Prism (version 8.0.2) Sidak’s (for multiple data set) and unpaired t-tests (for two data sets) were used to evaluate the differences in group means. Seven of the PAHs found in indoor and outdoor rats were absent in baseline rats. The mean concentrations of PAH in indoor and outdoor animals were higher than those of baseline animals, except for Benzo(a)pyrene, which was found in baseline animals but absent in other animal groups. Additionally, Dibenz(a,h)anthracene, Indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene, Pyrene, 2-methyl, and other carcinogenic PAHs were all significantly higher (p &lt, 0.05) in outdoor groups. The vulnerable groups in Port Harcourt are at the greatest risk of such pollution. Therefore, urgent environmental and public health measures are necessary to mitigate the looming danger.

Medication adherence reduces the risk of resistance to antiretroviral therapy. The frequently applied methods in measuring medication adherence are self-reported adherence and viral load monitoring. However, due to the backdrop of recall bias and overestimation of outcomes associated with self-reported adherence, viral load monitoring may be a better measure. This study assessed the association between medication adherence and virologic outcome among human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) positive adults accessing care at a treatment centre in Rivers State, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study employed the systematic sampling technique to select eligible HIV-positive adults accessing care at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital between September 2022 to November 2022. Data were collected using a validated 3-item structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed with statistical package for social science (SPSS) version-26. Pearson’s Chi-square was used to test for associations at a significance level of p

Introduction:the knowledge of epidemiologic and clinical variables in patients with SARS- CoV-2 infection provides evidence and lessons that are useful for the pandemic response, with consideration of National and sub-National variations. The objective of this study was to characterize and describe the clinical and epidemiologic features of all the hospitalised patients with COVID-19 in Rivers State Nigeria, from March to August 2020. Methods:a prospective descriptive multi-center study of patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 RT PCR, who were hospitalised for treatment and self-isolation in four treatment centers in Rivers state, Nigeria. Results:the mean age of all the patients was 39.21 ± 12.31 years, with a range of 2 to 77 years. The majority of patients were in the 31 to 40-year (33.0%), 41 to 50-year (23.1%) and 18-to 30-year (22.0%) age groups. The patient population included 474 (73.4%) males and 172 (26.6%) females, with 93 (14.4%) healthcare workers. A history of contact and travel was established in 38.5% and at least one comorbid disease condition was present in 32.8% of patients. Patients with severe disease were 61 (9.45%), while the overall case fatality rate was 2%. The leading comorbid disease conditions were Hypertension in 23.8% and diabetes in 7.7% of patients. Fever (26.0%), dry Cough (17.6%), dyspnoea (12.7%), anosmia (12.7%) and headache (9.9%) were the most common symptoms. The presence of comorbidity and increasing age predicted death from COVID-19. Conclusion:the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of this cohort of hospitalised patients show significant similarities with existing trends from previously reported studies, with contextual peculiarities.

BackgroundThis research explored awareness, perception, and practice of COVID 19 prevention among residents of communities in all the local government areas (districts) in Rivers State during the early stages of the pandemic response.DesignThis was a descriptive cross-sectional survey which employed an interviewer-administered four-page questionnaire built into the Open Data Kit application for android phones. Knowledge and practice scores were computed by scoring every correct response/action as 1 and wrong responses as 0. Knowledge was graded as excellent for scores of ≥80%, good for scores of 50-79% and poor for scores of SettingRivers State in the South-South region of Nigeria had recorded over 2000 cases of COVID 19 as of 18th August 2020, ranking 5th among the high burden states in Nigeria. As with any epidemic of an infectious nature, panic, fear, and misconceptions are rife. Risk communication utilizes multi-faceted activities geared towards facilitating correct and consistent knowledge and prevention practice.ParticipantsStudy involved 1,294 adult community residents in the 23 districts of the state.ResultsThe respondents were aged between 18 and 80 years with average age of 39.6 years (SD = 11.9 years). A total of 710 (54.9%) were male, 476 (36.8%) were unemployed with 685 (52.9%) having secondary education. Almost all respondents 1,271 (98.2%) had heard about COVID 19. The three most common sources of information about COVID 19 were radio jingles 1102 (86.7%), television adverts 940 (74.0%) and announcements in Church 612 (48.2%). Overall, 608 (47.0%) of the respondents had poor knowledge of COVID 19. About 1167 (90.2%) of the respondents who were aware of COVID 19 acknowledged that COVID 19 is a problem in the state while 443 (34.9%) respondents believed they were unlikely contract the virus. Only 505 (39.0%) of the respondents washed all critical parts of the hand correctly.ConclusionsRisk communication interventions during pandemics need to be based on an understanding of the gaps in knowledge, attitude, perceptions, and practice. Broadcast media has a pivotal role to play in risk communication for behaviour change for the control of current and future epidemics in this population.

Background: Over the years, the ambient air quality of Port Harcourt metropolis has deteriorated largely because of the petrochemical and hydrocarbon activities. This study, therefore, investigated the PAH levels in wistar rats exposed to ambient air of Port Harcourt metropolis.Method: Using an animal model, this study evaluated the blood PAH concentrations as an indicator of toxicity in living tissues exposed to ambient air polluted with particulate matter in Port Harcourt metropolis. Twenty (20) Wistar rats imported from a non-polluted city (Enugu) were exposed to both indoor and outdoor air for 90 days. Following the IACUC regulation, baseline data were obtained from 4 randomly selected animals, while the remaining 16 rats (8 each for indoor and outdoor) were left till day 90. Blood samples from the animals were obtained by cardiac puncture, and the PAHs concentrations were determined using Gas Chromatography Flame-Ionization Detector (GC-FID). GraphPad Prism (version 8.0.2) Sidak’s (for multiple data set) and unpaired t-tests (for two data sets) were used to evaluate the differences in group means at 95% confidence level.Result: Seven (7) of the PAHs found in indoor and outdoor rats were absent in blood tissues of baseline rats. The total mean concentrations of PAH were (82%), (13%), and (5%) in outdoor, indoor, and baseline animal groups respectively. Additionally, Dibenz(a,h)anthracene, Indeno(1,2,3-c,d)pyrene, Pyrene, 2-methyl, and other carcinogenic PAHs were all significantly higher (PConclusion: The results demonstrated that the ambient air of Port Harcourt was highly concentrated with PAHs. Vulnerable groups such as outdoor workers, pregnant women, children and infants, and terminally ill are the most susceptible to the health risks posed by these pollutants. Therefore, urgent environmental and public health measures are necessary to mitigate the looming danger.

Background: The proper management of healthcare data is fundamental to the health system processes; artificial intelligence has proven its value in these processes. Artificial intelligence can simplify the management of information, improve data security, and automate data flow. It is also useful in the analysis and interpretation of big data. Hence, it has the possibility of screening and diagnosing diseases, categorizing disease severity, detecting therapeutic agents, and forecasting outbreak spots.Methods: A data analysis and validation engine was developed to perform data quality control checks, classify addresses, and generate epidemiology numbers using the index and parse command on the command-line interface of DAVE.Results: DAVE correctly formatted data and created a local copy of the datastore and the index. It also returned previous EPID numbers to each entry and assigned a new EPID number to missed entries. DAVE imported the entries into the data template of the existing data management tool and generated a sample manifest that is then sent to the Laboratory. The data flow from the point of collection to storage and reporting was assessed as 100% accurate without errors and in real-time; there was also the ability to roll back if any error occurred.Conclusions: DAVE is a semi-autonomous system that operates with minimal human intervention; it is automatically faster as it leverages computing power to parse, store, and retrieve data while practically eliminating the need for manual data quality assessment. The DAVE functionality can be extended to incorporate additional features like forecasting outbreaks of emerging/re-emerging diseases, categorizing the severity of diseases and analysis of data in our setting.

Background A combination of effective and efficient approaches are necessary for scaling up of HIV case-identification, particularly in resource-limited settings. To increase access and coverage, communities need to be linked to facilities via community-based interventions that seek to promote health seeking behavior. This study is a Comparative Analysis of Facility Optimization and Community Based HIV Intervention and compares the effect of community HIV testing services(HTS) to HTS optimization at the facility-level. Methods This is a pre-and post-intervention study conducted in Eleme, one of the priority LGA supported by the USAID funded Strengthening Integrated Delivery of HIV/AIDS Services (SIDHAS) in Rivers State. The pre-intervention phase (PIP1) covers the period November 2015 – October 2016 while the post intervention phase is from November 2016 – Oct 2017. PIP1 involved community entry/mobilization, HIV screening in general population, referrals and linkage to care and treatment services from the community to the facility, while the PIP2 focused on optimization of HIV testing services within the facilities through multipoint/Provider Initiated Testing and Counselling[PITC], targeted testing in the communities, Sexual Network and Genealogy Testing and referrals by escort to Service Delivery Points. We reviewed HTS and ART commencement data to compare differences in positivity yield and linkage between both phases. Results The PIP1 had 107,813 individuals counselled, tested and received result, 1,406 tested HIV Positive and 964 linked to ART while the PIP2 had 24,078 individuals tested, 614 HIV positive and 610 linked to ART. Findings show increase in positivity yield from 1% to 3% and linkage from 87% to 99% in PIP1 and PIP2 respectively. Conclusion Although community outreaches create awareness, a targeted approach to HTS including sexual network/genealogy testing may be a more efficient approach. In addition, PITC in health facilities yields a higher positivity and linkage rates, maximizes use of testing resources by focusing on higher risk populations. Disclosure No significant relationships.

While millions of deaths are recorded from COVID-19 pandemic infection, the environment continues to benefits from the lockdown of cities. A descriptive cross-sectional survey aimed at assessing residents’ knowledge and perception concerning air pollution and breathing experience in Port Harcourt was carried out within 20th-28th of May, 2020. Convenience and purposive non-randomized sampling methods were used to recruit 358 participants. Using descriptive and chi square test analysis, majority (74% and 24%) of the respondents were very aware or aware of air pollution and its health consequences. This varied significantly with sex, age, marital status, occupation and location (p < 0.05). Before the city’s lockdown, 90.1% of respondents experienced particulate matter deposits on surfaces and during the lockdown; it reduces to 54.1% with significant difference (p < 0.05) across residential areas. Hence, age, sex, marital status, occupation and residential area likely to influence higher awareness of air pollution and not duration of stay. Also, significant difference in breathing experiences (p < 0.05) was noted, with majority reporting poor breathing experience before lockdown and good during the lockdown. Joint action of governments’ policies on air pollution and high awareness among residents could be explored effectively to mitigate air pollution hazards.

Introduction Significant gaps persist in providing HIV treatment to all who are in need. Restricting care delivery to healthcare facilities will continue to perpetuate this gap in limited resource settings. We assessed a large‐scale community‐based programme for effectiveness in identifying people living with HIV and linking them to antiretroviral treatment. Methods A retrospective secular trend study of 14 high burden local government areas of Nigeria was conducted in which two models of community antiretroviral treatment delivery were implemented: Model A (on‐site initiation) and Model B (immediate referral) clusters. Model A cluster offered services within communities, from HIV diagnosis to immediate antiretroviral therapy initiation and some follow‐up. Model B cluster offered services for HIV diagnosis up to baseline evaluation and provided referral for antiretroviral therapy initiation to nearest health facility providing HIV services. For controls, we selected and cluster‐matched 34 local government areas where community antiretroviral treatment delivery was not implemented. Outcomes of interest were: the number of people identified as HIV positive and the number of HIV‐positive individuals started on antiretroviral treatment; from June 2014 to May 2016. We used interrupted time‐series analysis to estimate outcome levels and trends across the pre‐and post‐intervention periods. Results Before community antiretrovial treatment introduction, Model A cluster identified, per 100,000 catchment population, 500 HIV‐positives (95% CI: 399.66 to 601.41) and initiated 216 HIV‐positives on antiretroviral treatment (95% CI: 152.72 to 280.10). Model B cluster identified 32 HIV‐positives (95% CI: 25.00 to 40.51) and initiated 8 HIV‐positives on antiretroviral treatment (95% CI: 5.54 to 10.33). After commART introduction, Model A cluster showed an immediate significant increase in 744 HIV‐positive persons (p = 0.00, 95% CI: 360.35 to 1127.77) and 560 HIV‐positives initiated on treatment (p = 0.00, 95% CI: 260.56 to 859.64). Model B cluster showed an immediate significant increase in 30 HIV‐positive persons identified (p = 0.01, 95% CI: 8.38 to 51.93) but not in the number of HIV‐positives initiated on treatment. Model B cluster showed increased month‐on‐month trends of both outcomes of interest (3.4, p = 0.02, 95% CI: 0.44 to 6.38). Conclusion Both community‐models had similar population‐level effectiveness for rapidly identifying people living with HIV but differed in effectively transitioning them to treatment. Comprehensiveness, integration and attention to barriers to care are important in the design of community antiretroviral treatment delivery.