ABSTRACT Malnutrition, also defined as bad nutrition, is a serious public-health problem that has been linked to a substantial increase in the risk of mortality and morbidity among the affected populations. A large proportion of malnourished children are not enrolled in the treatment program as expected. The objective was to examine the factors that determine use of the Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition services for children less than five years by caregivers within Embakas...
ABSTRACT Aflatoxins are fungal metabolites which are toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic and thus cause undesirable effects on animal and human health when ingested with feed or foodstuffs. Aflatoxin producing fungi may occur in certain food products in form of spores, and thus when conditions are favourable, the fungi germinate and may produce aflatoxin in varied amounts. Ingestion of higher dose of aflatoxin (Codex Commission upper limit is 10ppb), may result in aflatoxicosis which manifests ...
ABSTRACT Ground water contamination has become one of the main environmental issues and a challenge to the world population especially in arid and semi-arid areas. The levels of physico-chemical parameters of ground water exceeding the Kenya Bureau of Standards permissible guidelines have resulted to health problems among the water users especially in rural areas of developing countries, where a significant number of serious human health problems have been reported. Kenya being a water scarce...
ABSTRACT Malnutrition has been recognized as a common problem among the elderly persons and is associated with certain diseases and impaired functioning, but less is known about its relationship with nutrition intake and nutritional care among the elderly residents. This study determined the association of functionality and nutritional status of the Institutionalized elderly and compared with that of the elderly living with their family or community members. It also compared the functionality...
Abstract Flooding is one of the most widespread of climatic hazards that continues to pose serious multiple threats to public health. Globally, efforts to combat it have shifted towards long-term commitment to capacity building and broad based community involvement in flood risk interventions. In Kenya, the ability of local people to resist the impact of disasters has not been given adequate attention. This was descriptive cross sectional study and the objectives were to explore existing trad...
ABSTRACT Over the world, hospitals have suffered severe damage as a result of natural and anthropogenic disasters leading to the partial or total collapse of the structures and interruption of the health services urgently needed by the victims of the event. During the disaster strike, hospitals are confronted with a large number of casualties exceeding their capacity to cope. Despite the situation, many governments have paid less attention to disaster preparedness in health facilities. Hospit...
ABSTRACT Leishmania major is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite that causes chronic cutaneous lesions that often result in disfiguring scars. Artemisinin, a well known antimalarial drug, has been shown to be efficacious against Leishmania parasites both in vivo and in vitro. This study sought to determine the adjuvant potential of artemisinin when administered with a soluble leishmanial antigen. To test this hypothesis, seventy-two female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into...
ABSTRACT Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are common site contaminants, but they are not generally regulated as hazardous wastes. TPH refers not only to analytical results, but also to environmental and health properties of PHCs. Biodegradation by natural populations of microorganisms represents one of the primary mechanisms by which petroleum and other hydrocarbon pollutants can be removed from the environment and is cheaper than other remediation technologies. The environmental implication as...
ABSTRACT The effect of drilling waste on soil quality was studied at Opukushi Oil field dumpsite in Delta state. The period of sampling and analysis was between June and September 2010. Soil samples from the dump sites and the control site were physicochemical analyzed using Gas Chromatography, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Laboratory analysis were conducted according to standard methods. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to obtain range, means, standard errors, as well ...
ABSTRACT Malaria causes immeasurable human suffering in the tropics and the sub tropical areas. The disease is a leading cause for both mortality and morbidity with an estimated 300-600 million people being infected with malaria every year in the world. The World health Organization estimates that 90% of malaria deaths occur in Sub Saharan Africa. Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) are a cost effective malaria control tool but coverage data has often showed that the majority of Sub Saharan countr...
ABSTRACT Indigenous chicken production in most African countries including Kenya is traditionally based on free feed resources available in the surrounding environment. There is a high risk of zoonosis that could be an important source of enteric pathogens transmissible to humans. The apparently healthy chicken, like other food animals shed enteric pathogens, notably Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli that are associated with antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of this study was to charac...
ABSTRACT Marginal mixed farming households are prone to frequent drought and hardly meet their food intake requirements which make the under-five children more vulnerable to malnutrition. The purpose of this study was to establish the determinants of nutritional status of children aged 6-59 months in marginal mixed farming households in Ntugi location, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. A sample of 106 households was randomly selected for data collection. Structured questionnaires, key informa...
ABSTRACT The study was designed to ascertain the role of mass media on the use of contraceptive among mothers in Alulu Nike, Enugu East L.G.A, Enugu state. The statement of problem is poor use of contraceptives by mothers despite awareness creation on contraceptives through various sources such as mass media, health care providers, families, friends and neighbours. Furthermore, most studies in the past were done at national and international levels while little has been done at the community...
ABSTRACT Complications of unsafe abortion and those of incomplete abortion, led to 120,000 Kenyan women receiving Post Abortion Care (PAC) in 2012, and of these women, 70% had not used contraception before pregnancy and repeat abortion is common. The aim of the research was to explore contraceptive uptake, adherence to contraceptive use, associated factors and satisfaction with care among women seeking post abortion-care (PAC) in Kisumu, Kenya and to determine the technical competence of midw...
ABSTRACT Cervical cancer is a global public health problem that has claimed the lives of several women. However, information on level of knowledge about the disease and the behaviors that predisposes to the infection is scarce especially among tertiary female students in south-south Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to assess cervical cancer knowledge, elicit the types of risk behaviors practiced among the students and to give recommendations based on findings. Descriptive comparativ...