Environmental Health sciences

In the 1990s Peru experienced the first cholera epidemic after almost a century. The source of emergence was initially attributed to a cargo ship, but later there was evidence of an El Niño association. It was hypothesized that marine ecosystem changes associated with El Niño led to the propagation of V. cholerae along the coast of Peru, which in turn initiated the onset of the epidemic in 1991. Earlier studies supported this explanation by demonstrating a relationship between elevated temperatures and increased cholera incidence in Peru; however, other aspects of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and their potential impacts on cholera were not investigated. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between El Niño and cholera in Peru from a holistic view of the ENSO cycle. A “climate affairs” approach is employed as a conceptual framework to incorporate ENSO’s multidimensional nature and to generate new hypotheses about the ENSO and cholera association in Peru. The findings reveal that ENSO may have been linked to the cholera epidemic through multiple pathways, including rainfall extremes, La Niña, and social vulnerability, with impacts depending on the geography of teleconnections within Peru. When the definition of an ENSO event is examined, cholera appears to have emerged either during ENSO neutral or La Niña conditions. Furthermore, the analysis herein suggests that the impact of El Niño arrived much later, possibly resulting in heightened transmission in the austral summer of 1992. In conclusion, a modified hypothesis with these new insights on cholera emergence and transmission in Peru is presented.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a set of techniques that is used to examine the potential health effects of a proposed policy, program, or project which has globally generated significant interest over the past decade. It is a strong strategy for collaborating with other sectors to address the environmental determinants of health, and to achieve the most effective objectives for sustainable development goals. However, HIA could help bring attention to the broad determinants of health and suggest ways to promote healthy public policy in different sectors. Although this component is promising, its ultimate value can be compromised by premature and unrealistic expectations. The need for HIA in Nigeria seems to be increasing because it has been found that modifiable determinants of health in populations are rooted primarily in characteristics of the physical and social environments, thus requiring intersectoral analyses of possible health promoting policies and projects. The benefits of HIA as well as its weaknesses must be well communicated to other public health practitioners, policymakers, and ultimately the public. It can provide helpful information to policymakers and stakeholders about potential health impacts, but it cannot independently create healthy public policy. This review highlights the key elements of these advances and characterizes the way in which they contribute to improvement of standards and methodologies of HIA and compares different approaches to HIA. The review emphasizes that a better understanding of these advances is needed before environmental scholars and practitioners can begin to gather relevant information, analyze them within credible research designs and generate reliable evidence about the effectiveness of the myriad proposed solutions to the global health, environmental and social problems. Lessons learned from the related field of environmental impact assessment and from experience with HIA can help improve the likelihood that HIA can fulfill its long-term goals of advancing and promoting sustainable development.

Background
Hand washing is the process of decontaminating the hands, a cheap and effective method of limiting the spread of nosocomial infections. Good hand hygiene involves cleansing hands in between patients or between examining an infected site and a clean body site on the same patient. Proper hand washing practice involves following the WHO accepted guidelines for hand washing. Hand washing is an effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrhea and acute respiratory infections. This study aimed to assess the compliance of health care workers in public and private hospital in F.C.T Abuja.
Methodology
The study was carried out amongst health workers in public and private hospitals in Kubwa district of Bwari area council, F.C.T Abuja. Kubwa General Hospital and Daughters of Charity Health Care Services were eligible for the study both. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 224 respondents. Self- administered questionnaires, as well as an observational check list were used to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of hand washing. A scoring system was devised to grade the questionnaires (KAP score). Further analysis was done using Microsoft Excel.
Results
Majority of the respondents (140, which is 68.30%) had good knowledge of hand washing using KAP scoring. 44 (21.5%) respondents had very good knowledge of nosocomial infections. Thirty-two of these respondents with very good knowledge were Doctors. About half of the respondents interviewed had excellent hand washing practice, while 76 (37.07%) had good practice. For the limiting factors to hand washing, lack of material (soap, water, towels) was the most frequently indicated.
Conclusion
There was good awareness of hand washing principles, nosocomial infections and good attitude towards hand washing. However, this did not correlate well with practice which was below average.
Keywords: Hand washing; Nosocomial infections; Health workers; Health Care Facilities; Kubwa District, Bwari Area Council; Abuja; Nigeria;

This paper argues that the practical reach and ethical impact of the One Health paradigm is conditional on satisfactorily distinguishing between interconnected and interdependent factors among human, non-human, and environmental health. Interconnection does not entail interdependence. Offering examples of interconnections and interdependence in the context of existing One Health literature, we demonstrate that the conversations about One Health do not yet sufficiently differentiate between those concepts. They tend to either ignore such distinctions or embrace bioethically untenable positions. We conclude that careful conceptual differentiation can prevent One Health stakeholders either from overreaching or under-reaching the practical and ethical boundaries of this developing paradigm.

With the close of 2020 unprecedented year, a year like no other, Nigerians is still reeling from the impacts of an emerging, rapidly and evolving COVID-19 pandemic, while the spring continue to unfolded. COVID-19 was considered a "deaths of despair" with an opioid crisis and realizing that humanity is in for a long haul with COVID-19, itself may be a game changer. If we expected COVID-19 to be short lived, we have been remarkably, if not catastrophically, disappointed. As many people were www.scholink.org/ojs/index.php/csm Communication, Society and Media Vol. 4, No. 2, 2021 2 Published by SCHOLINK INC. already feeling significantly stressed, and where depression was increasing risks of overdoses and suicide. From time immemorial, humankind have suffered the psychological effects of various catastrophes, such as wars, floods, famines, wildfires, earthquakes, windstorms and last but certainly not least, the possibility of outbreaks of potentially deadly infectious diseases. Hence, these zoonosis diseases, result from pathogens being transmitted from animals to humans. To protect ourselves from zoonoses, there is need for new measures and precautions, for instance ending and preventing deforestation as well as protecting conservation areas and endangered species against such danger. Of course, we are certainly no exception today as people try to figure out how to cope and help others cope with the grief, stress, and anxiety caused by the greatest health challenge of our time: the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With more than 1,129 Nigerian having lost their lives as of October 24, 2020 and more than 61,882 thousand infected since COVID-19 first gripped our nation, although reports suggest that the incidence of COVID-19 has begun to drop, the pandemic has taken a profound psychological and emotional toll on us all. However, social and behavioral scientists have identified some strategies to help us face our fears, as well as even rise to the challenge of supporting others during this fraught time. While awaiting the unprecedented investment in the development of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and the simultaneous scale up of vaccine manufacturing which has been taking place, including unprecedented collaboration and resources to develop safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 that can be manufactured and delivered in the scale of billions of doses to people around the globe. Continuing in this unprecedented commitment towards collaboration as well as transparency is essential towards ensuring that effective and reliable access to information will continue to inform policy decisions at all levels to support the development of national roadmaps to accelerate as well as sustain progress towards public health interventions and building trust in communities that will benefit from a safe and effective vaccine as well as making sure we get it to them as quick as possible.

According  to  ESPGHAN,  polyethylene  glycol  with  electrolytes  (PEG)  is  generally  the  recommended  laxative  for  bowel  cleansing  prior  to  colonoscopy  in  children  owing  to  cleansing  quality  and  safety  [1].  Children  with  various  gastrointestinal  disorders  such  as  inflammatory  bowel  disease  (IBD)  undergo  colonoscopy as  the  standard  examination  of  the  bowel  as  a  diagnostic  and  therapeutic tool. A colonoscopy can only be performed if the bowel is clean, however it has been seen that bowel cleansing is the most difficult part of the procedure prior to colonoscopy [2]. The whole procedure  consists  of  several  elements,  for  example,  diet  regime  before bowel cleansing, blood tests, laxative intake and anesthesia. However, children and their parents reported that bowel cleansing was the most wear some [3,4]. Despite the availability of various laxatives,  the  ideal  bowel  preparation  regimen  for  pediatric  colonoscopy  remains  elusive  because  few  randomized  controlled  studies in children have been published [5]. Prescription of PEG in children is based on Millar et al. [6] and may entail a large volume of PEG, which previous studies have reported is difficult to intake as children perceive it to have a bad taste [3,7]. The intake of PEG can  be  oral  or  via  a  naso  pharynx  tube,  however  previous  studies  showed that children did not accept the tube as a possible solution [3].

Psychotropic effects of substance abuse on academic attainments was studied from a cross sectional descriptive survey from January to June, 2010 in Bosomtwi and Atwima Kwanwoma Districts. Entirely thirteen beneficiaries of School Health Education Programmes (SHEP) interventions between 5 to 10 years intervals, subdivided into ten Junior High (JHS), and three public Senior High (SHS) were randomly selected based on learners' gender ratios using questionnaire and instructional guidelines approved by the school authorities for interview of 600 (258 females and 342 males) respondents. Majority (42 to 94%) were victims of coffee and alcohol abuse while 31% were implicated for marijuana, amphetamine, cocaine and heroin. About 56% resorted to drugs hoping to improve their academic performances with 11% consequently developing truant behaviors and abysmal achievements. Family members and friends often lured/provided money for 61% of learner's drug purchase while 96% were addicted averagely at 11.5 years old. Proportionately, 51% males were abusing drugs against 45% females. Likelihood ratio of abuse amongst genders cohorts were both asymptotically (P<0.07) and linearly (P<0.4) not significantly different. Substance abuse problems worsened in divorced marriages and single parent families where financial constraints and inadequate care compel learners to depend on drugs as probable solution to their depression and stress. The overall analysis revealed little improvement on learners' academic performances with increased drug use. Parent Teacher Associations need to strengthen the implementation of child care monitoring interventions in homes and schools to curtail rampant drug abuse problems through pilot School Health Education Programmes (SHEP).