The recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa has ravaged many lives. Effective containment of this outbreak relies on prompt and effective coordination and communication across various interventions; early detection and response being critical to successful control. The use of information and communications technology (ICT) in active surveillance has proved to be effective but its use in Ebola outbreak response has been limited. Due to the need for timeliness in reporting and communication for early discovery of new EVD cases and promptness in response; it became imperative to empower the response team members with technologies and solutions which would enable smooth and rapid data flow. The Open Data Kit and Form Hub technology were used in combination with the Dashboard technology and ArcGIS mapping for follow up of contacts, identification of cases, case investigation and management and also for strategic planning during the response. A remarkable improvement was recorded in the reporting of daily follow-up of contacts after the deployment of the integrated real time technology. The turnaround time between identification of symptomatic contacts and evacuation to the isolation facility and also for receipt of laboratory results was reduced and informed decisions could be taken by all concerned. Accountability in contact tracing was ensured by the use of a GPS enabled device. The use of innovative technologies in the response of the EVD outbreak in Nigeria contributed significantly to the prompt control of the outbreak and containment of the disease by providing a valuable platform for early warning and guiding early actions.

Background: Interest in the reproductive health of adolescents continues to grow throughout the world. Few studies had explored the reproductive health knowledge, sexual behavior and experience of sexual coercion among secondary school students in North Eastern states of Nigeria. The objectives of this descriptive survey were to collect data to plan appropriate interventions that meet the reproductive health knowledge, service and skills needs of students in Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states.

PurposeThe paper seeks to explore sexual behaviours and reproductive health knowledge among in‐school young people with disabilities (PWD) in Ibadan, Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachIn the paper a structured questionnaire was administered to 103 randomly selected PWD, aged ten to 25, from four integrated secondary schools in Ibadan. The data were collected through face‐to‐face interview. Five categories of disability included were hearing and speech, sight, speech, intellectual, and physical disabilities.FindingsThe paper finds that 57 percent of the sample were females and 43 percent were males. Of the 36 (35 percent) respondents who were sexually active, 17 did not give a definite reason for their sexual initiation, nine were influenced by peers, five were “experimenting” with sex, four were raped, while one person began sexual activity for monetary gains. A total of 17 percent of the respondents had either procured abortion or been involved in the procurement of abortion for a sexual partner. In total 28 percent of the sample reported ever being raped. In total, 43 percent had been fondled, kissed, or caressed, against their wishes. Knowledge of contraceptives was reported by 40 percent. A total of 23 percent had never used condoms, while 6 percent were consistent condom users. Half of the respondents had heard about HIV/AIDS, 9 percent had tested for HIV, while 16 percent reported previous episodes of sexually transmitted infections. In total, 70 percent did not know where they could access reproductive health services.Originality/approachThe paper shows that there is an urgent need to develop specific programs for young people with disabilities, especially for those in schools, to address knowledge and behaviour issues regarding reproductive health and HIV/AIDS.

The study investigated the magnitude of social inequities in access to subsidised healthcare services among people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) in Nigeria. Structured interviews were conducted with 1 056 PLWHA selected from 60 community based support groups in 12 local government areas across 3 Nigerian states and the federal capital territory, using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Data were collected on socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; awareness about location of health facilities; current health status; distance to facilities; and utilisation and expenditure on healthcare. The socio-economic characteristics of the respondents were used to compare their level of access to healthcare services from antiretroviral therapy (ART) sites and government hospitals. Awareness about location of health facilities was generally high (≥79%) among the respondents but higher among males, urban dwellers and those in highest wealth class (p < 0.05). About 60% of rural PLWHA and 55.2% of those in the lowest wealth class reported illness compared with 49.4% of urban residents and 47.4% of those in the highest wealth class. However, PLWHA in urban areas utilised government hospitals more than those in rural areas while rural PLWHA and those in the lowest wealth class travelled longer distances to ART sites (p < 0.05). PLWHA in lowest wealth class and females faced catastrophic health expenditure of 67.6% and 55.5% of their monthly income respectively. Social inequities were observed in the subsidised HIV-treatment programme in Nigeria. Expansion of ART sites in rural areas and decentralisation of HIV care at government hospitals will reduce travel distance and transport costs and ensure universal access to healthcare services among PLWHA.

Very little information is available on the extent to which the private health sector is involved in clinical management of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. This study assessed the potentials and existing capacity of 15 private health facilities in Nassarawa state for clinical management of HIV/AIDS. Information was obtained from 25 staff (15 proprietors and 10 professionals) of the randomly selected health facilities in the state using structured questionnaire. Of the 15 health facilities, three provided voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), seven had never admitted persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), two provided laboratory services, none provided home-based care for PLWHAs, two had anti-retro-viral drugs in stock, two had rooms for counselling, three had full-time doctors, and six had registered nurses. Of the 25 health workers, 5 had skills/training in conducting VCT, 15 had skills in the treatment of opportunistic infections, 14 were aware of anti-retro-viral drugs and 13 did not feel comfortable attending to PLWHAs. The study recommended capacity building on HIV/AIDS related services for the private health-workers.