In developing countries, e.g., Nigeria, several communities have limited access to sanitation and sanitation facilities, thus such communities dump their solid and liquid wastes indiscriminately. The aim of this study was to assess access to sanitation, and compare basic sanitation facilities between upland and coastal communities of Akwa Ibom State. With a cross-sectional design, 420 respondents were selected and administered questionnaires to obtain information on sanitation and sanitation facilities of the communities using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Result shows that faecal disposal facilities available for upland and coastal communities were respectively 187(89.05%) and 98(46.67%). 30(26.79%) of households defecate in open bodies of water in the coastal areas, while upland communities do not. Also, 9(39.13%) and 64(57.14%) of upland and coastal areas respectively, defecate in bushes/swamps, while 14(60.87%) and 18(16.07%) bury their faeces in pits. On the whole, improved sanitation coverage recorded 61.90% and 38.10% respondents for the rural upland and coastal communities respectively, while unimproved sanitation coverage for upland and coastal communities recorded 31.43% and 68.57% respectively. This indicates that sanitation facilities and coverage are worse in the rural coastal areas. In conclusion, both upland and coastal communities of Akwa Ibom State still lack adequate sanitation, although the upland communities enjoy relatively improved sanitation than the coastal communities.

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Background: The magnitude of production and sales of unregulated beverages in Nigeria has significantly increased over the years. Several studies have found a high prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in locally made drink samples which is a threat to public health. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness of public health risks associated with the use of previously disposed plastic bottles for packaging drinks and hygiene practices of producers of artisanal drinks in Calabar Municipality, Nigeria. Methods: The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design using a semi-structured questionnaire to elicit information from 166 producers of locally packaged drinks. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. Associations were tested using chi square statistics. Results: The study showed a high level of awareness of food borne diseases 120(73.2%). Majority of the respondents 83(50.8%) had a high level of knowledge on health risks associated with use of previously disposed bottles for packaging drinks. The level of hygiene practice was however not in tandem with Knowledge as the practice level was generally poor 99(60.3%). Majority 114(69.5%) also had a negative attitude towards safe use of previously disposed plastic bottles. There was an association between producers’ duration in business and food hygiene practices (X2= 5.153, P= 0.023). There was also a significant association between producers’ exposure to food hygiene training and food hygiene practice (X2= 49.993, P= 0.0001) Conclusion: There is an urgent need for planned regular food safety training sessions for artisanal drink producers and the regulation of sales of artisanal drinks to safeguard public health in Nigeria.

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Background Exposure to lead produces a variety of adverse health effects. This study evaluated the protective effect of Carica papaya leaves(CPL) and seed (CPS) against lead bioaccumulation in albino rats. Methods Thirty male rats weighing 174-196g were assigned to six groups of five animals receiving various treatments: group 1- control; 2-50mg/kg body weight (BW) lead nitrate (PbNO3); 3- 500 mg/kg BW CPL extract; 4- 500 mg/kg BW CPS extract; 5- 50mg/kg BW PbNO3 + 500mg/kg BW CPL; and 6- 50mg/kg BW PbNO3 + 500mg/kg CPS orally for 31 days. Results The study revealed a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in lead bioaccumulation in liver and kidney of the lead treated groups complemented with CPL (0.72 ± 0.28mg/l and 0.85 ± 0.17mg/l) and CPS (0.29 ± 0.10mg/l and 0.36 ± 0.10mg/l), compared to the liver and kidney of animals in the group treated with lead alone (11.32 ± 3.20mg/l and 14.62 ± 3.78mg/l).The reduction in bioaccumulation was however non-significantly higher (P > 0.05) in the group complemented with CPS than CPL. Conclusion This finding suggests that CPL and CPS have the potential of reducing lead bioaccumulation and could be harnessed by pharmaceutical industries for this potential.