Global health has been thrown into turmoil by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused devastating morbidity and unprecedented loss of life in almost all continents of the world. It was predicted that the magnitude of the pandemic in Africa will be high because of poor health structure and intensely poor living condition, but that has not happened, surprisingly. It was hypothesized that the youthful population and a vastly primed immune system were protective, and many people may have been exposed without coming down with the severe disease. Most of them would have presented in hospitals with other medical conditions and possibly transmit COVID-19 to health workers inadvertently. This study is designed to measure serum SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels in health workers as a marker of latent exposure. Asymptomatic frontline health workers were randomly selected from the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria; venous blood samples were obtained from them, and the serum SARS-CoV-2 IgG level was determined using ELISA techniques. A proportion of participants with seropositivity were obtained, and factors associated with seropositivity were determined. A total of 133 participants were recruited for this study, and 60 (45.1%) of them were seropositive for SARS-CoV-2. Among the seropositive participants were doctors, nurses, health assistants, laboratory scientists and technicians, and nonmedical staff. Obstetrics, gynecology, and emergency departments had higher odds of seropositivity. Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 is very high among frontline health workers, though asymptomatic. This calls for a more stringent precaution against further spread within the hospital environment.

Introduction Recently, there has been an upsurge in the migration of medical personnel, especially early career doctors (ECDs) from low‐ and middle‐income countries, Nigeria inclusive, to high‐income countries with wide‐ranging consequences on the social and economic systems of the donor countries. This study assessed the profile and determinants of intention to emigrate by ECDs in Nigeria. Methods A cross‐sectional study conducted among Nigerian ECDs from nine tertiary hospitals. Socio‐demographic characteristics, intention & reasons to emigrate and willingness to return were collected using a self‐administered semi‐structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results A total number of 763 ECDs participated in the study. The majority (88.2%) were less than 40 years of age and the male to female ratio was 2:1. Majority of the participants (69.4%) received monthly income ≤833 US Dollar. About two‐thirds of ECDs had plans to emigrate and most to developed countries. Common reasons for intention to migrate were better quality of postgraduate training, improved quality of life and better remuneration. Conclusion High proportion of Nigerian ECDs has intention to emigrate out with potential adverse effect on the fragile health system in the country.

BackgroundEarly career doctors (ECDs) are faced with many challenges due to their transition from undergraduate medical/dental studentship to being postgraduate doctors and being in an early phase of their career. The specific factors that affect ECDs in their careers and endeavors at the workplace range from poor remuneration, particularly in developing countries, to psychosocial problems (such as burnout [BO] syndrome). There is a dearth of information on BO among ECDs in Nigeria. This qualitative study aims to explore the opinions of ECDs in Nigeria on the causal/predisposing factors of BO, effects of BO, and strategies for mitigating BO among ECDs in Nigeria.MethodUsing purposive sampling method, two sessions of focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 14 ECDs (key informants) holding key leadership positions and who were delegates of other ECDs in Nigeria were conducted to explore their experiences on psychological issues among ECDs. Data collected were transcribed and analyzed thematically.ResultsBO is an issue of serious concern among ECDs in Nigeria. The causes of BO are diverse, some of which include low staff strength, prolonged work hours, wrong counseling, lack of job description and specification, and abuse of powers by trainers. In order to mitigate the issue of BO among ECDs, the respondents recommended that work policy review, medical workforce strengthening, stakeholder dialog on ECDs’ welfare, regular psychological review of ECDs, and provision of free yearly medicals need to be looked into. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the participants considered BO issues among ECDs to be common, and it affected their performance and the overall quality of care in Nigeria health system. Based on our findings, there is an urgent need to mitigate the problem of emotional exhaustion among ECDs in Nigeria.

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