Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E O Ekunwe

Publications and source records attributed to E O Ekunwe.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1994

How disease prevention fails without good communication.

Even where resources are plentiful, efforts to achieve full immunization coverage fail if staff and users are misinformed and unmotivated. A highly practical study in Lagos pinpoints some of these failures and suggests ways of overcoming them.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Immunization by inhalation of aerosolized measles vaccine.

The importance of effectively protecting infants against measles is substantial because of the number of lives that can be saved and the morbidity that can be prevented. (i) Infants contract measles before the recommended age of immunization. (ii) Circulating maternal antibodies render measles vaccination ineffective in many infants. These problems have led to clinical trials of immunizing infants using routes other than the usual subcutaneous one. One promising approach is the inhalation of aerosolized vaccine. This study was undertaken to try to immunize very young infants using easily accessible vaccine and ordinary equipment. Infants aged 4-6 months were selected for measles immunization by inhalation. They were clinically well, with no history of tuberculosis or asthma. From each child, 0.2 ml of blood was obtained by finger-prick. The blood was kept on ice, then centrifuged and the serum stored in a freezer at -20 degrees C. Each child was weighed and clinically assessed and his rectal temperature recorded. Using a plastic nebulizer to hold reconstituted vaccine by SCLAVO of Italy and an ordinary foot pump, the vaccine was aerosolized. One thousand TCID50 of the vaccine was administered to each child with a vinyl face mask for a period of at least 30 s, to allow him to retain 250 TCID50. The child was then clinically followed up three times a week for 4 weeks with particular reference to (i) fever, (ii) conjunctivitis, (iii) cough, and (iv) skin rash. None of the infants developed any of the above signs during the interval.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1989

A village health worker programme in Nigeria.

A study was made of the training and performance of village health workers near Lagos, and of the management of the scheme to which they belonged. Among the deficiencies observed were inadequate drug control and poor record-keeping. Nevertheless, the scheme led to a significant extension of primary health care coverage.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Separating the factors in measles vaccine failure.

Three possible reasons for failure of measles vaccine were identified as follows: (a) circulating maternal antibodies, (b) administration of non-viable vaccine, and (c) misdiagnosis. A study designed to test the role played by each of these in the high measles vaccine failure rate was carried out at the Oguntolu Street Clinic, Lagos, from October 1982 to February 1983. Failure to seroconvert was the cause of 67.7% of measles vaccine failure, particularly at ages 6-7 months, though this was not associated with high prevaccination titres. In 32.3% incorrect diagnosis was responsible. Non-viable vaccine was found not to be a reason because all vials of measles vaccine were potent at the time of administration.

Antibodies, Viral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epidemiologic survey of menstrual patterns amongst adolescents in Nigeria.

Nine hundred and fifty secondary school girls aged between 10 and 18 years were randomly selected and surveyed. Information on their age at menarche, regularity of menstruation at onset and the time of survey and length of period of irregularity were sought using a well structured questionnaire. Estimation of blood loss per period premenstrual symptoms and signs, prevalence and severity of dysmenorrhoea were also inquired about. This study demonstrated a secular trend in the age at menarche when compared with other similar studies conducted in the previous decade in Nigeria. A higher prevalence of 71.8% of any grade of dysmenorrhoea was found in this study when compared with figures from developed countries, this and the short mean duration of irregular menstruation (3.7 months after menarche) were taken to be evidence of early establishment of regular ovular menstruation.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictive value of conjunctival pallor in the diagnosis of anaemia.

Because of the need to develop a simple yet reliable method of diagnosing anaemia, a compelling health problem, several studies had examined the possibility of utilizing physical examination of mucous membranes as a test of anaemia, but have produced conflicting results. This study was undertaken to determine if physical examination of a patient's mucous membranes will give predictive values of his haemoglobin concentration. A representative sample was drawn from the population of the Local Government Area selected for the study. Data collected on each study subject included age, sex, body weight, diagnosis, if any and conjunctival tint. At the same time, a venous blood sample was also obtained and its haemoglobin concentration determined with the oxyhaemoglobin concentration method. This was matched with the survey data on each subject for analysis. Results showed that 2697 subjects were s surveyed and that the prevalence of anaemia in the study population, defined in this report as Hb < 100g/l, was 29.9%; 14.9% was found to have conjunctival pallor. Statistical analysis gave sensitivity and specificity scores of 25% and 89% respectively and positive and negative predictive values of 46.9% and 75.4% respectively. The study observed that these results indicate that while conjunctival pallor is not a reliable measure of the presence of anaemia, the probability that it correctly excludes those that are not anaemic is high. Conjunctival pallor is recommended as a screening rather than a diagnostic tool.

Adolescent↗