ISSN 2360-7920
Abstract
Tuberculosis is a chronic disease that affects man and other mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles. Mammalian tuberculosis is caused by four very closely related species such as Mycobactarium tuberculosis (the human tubercle bacillus); Mycobactarium bovis (the bovine tubercle bacillus); Mycobactarium microti (the vole tubercle bacillus); and Mycobactarium africanum (rodent tubercle bacillus). These together formed the parasite “Mycobacterium” to humans and animals that is affecting the entire human and animal population in the society. It is against this background that this a cross-sectional study of tuberculosis in general hospital Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, Nigeria was conducted to: determine the sex that is likely to have the highest tuberculosis cases; find out the causes and risk factors that result in the tuberculosis infection; determine the age range at which the tuberculosis cases are more vulnerable; and determine the best ways at which the tuberculosis cases can be prevented. Structured questionnaires were used. A total of thirty (30) questionnaires were administered, and each questionnaire contains about eleven (11) items for about thirty (30) respondents under the study. All the questionnaires were answered and retrieved accordingly. The study revealed that majority of respondents 21(70%) are males in the sex distribution; 10(33.33%) respondents were mostly farmers in the distribution of occupation; 27(90%) respondents experienced fever and cough as their clinical signs and symptoms; and 18(60%) respondents said they mostly using nose masks to prevent spread of tuberculosis. There is need for government to provide free medication for tuberculosis patients, there is needs to improve health care facilities, there is needs for private hospitals to ensure proper biomedical waste management and disposal, and there is needs for creation of Epidemiological Units in all Health Care Centres in order to ensure regular monitoring and reporting of tuberculosis cases and other infectious diseases to the appropriate health authorities in order to prevent epidemic in the society.
Keywords: Cross-sectional study, Diseases, General hospital, Tuberculosis, Transmission, Nasarawa.
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Published by GRJPHE |
https://springjournals.net/grjphe/articles/osu