Saudi Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (SJHSS)
Volume-2 | Issue-10 | 1000-1006
Original Research Article
Environmental Risk Factors of TB Infection in Northwest Nigeria
Abubakar Garba Fada
Published : Oct. 30, 2017
Abstract
Within the last two decades, tuberculosis (TB) has shown an
unprecedented and rather unexpected re-emergence despite achievements in
immunization, provision of heath care facilities, discovery of drugs and better
understanding of the disease. The Northwest Region of Nigeria is one of those
corridors through which the transmission of the disease could be enhanced due to
seasonal migration of pastoralists serving as carriers of the disease, going by their
mobile lifestyle. This paper tried to examine the prevalence of the disease in this
area, with the aim of identifying the environmental risk factors associated with it,
among others. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on 461 patients
receiving treatment as sample across the DOTS centres along Fulani route of
seasonal migration. Analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics and the
logistic regression while significance test was done using ANOVA. Results
indicated that ‘ever been diagnosed of lung and heart-related diseases’ had the
highest contribution in the model (B=4.943), followed by ‘ever stayed with a TB
patient’ (B=2.213) and then ‘family member ever been infected with TB’
(B=1.411). However, the ANOVA test on number of persons sleeping in a room
indicated no statistically significant difference in the means of the groups, F (15,
89) = 1.117; p = 0.354. It was concluded that contact with the index and
overcrowding play a role in the prevalence of TB in the study area and therefore
recommend further studies on individual risk factors so as to guide disease
surveillance and control.