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Background: Cholera outbreaks are frequent across Nigeria irrespective of season. Cholera outbreak began on the 17th January 2015 in a community in Ebonyi State. We carried out an investigation to confirm the diagnosis, identify the source of infection, determine the factors associated with its spread and carried out some interventions.Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the affected communities during which active case search, environmental survey and key informant interviews were done. Stool samples were taken from cases for laboratory diagnosis. A cholera case was defined as any person that presented with diarrhoea and or vomiting with laboratory confirmation or with epidemiological linkage to the affected areas.Results: A total of 551 cases were recorded in 38 communities with a case fatality rate of 8.6%. Vibrio Cholera was isolated from 5 stool samples. Those who were 20 years or less and females were more commonly affected. Males and attendance at burial in another community within the two weeks preceding onset of outbreak was significantly associated with death (p<0.001). Inadequate safe water supplies, poor sanitation and hygiene practices were observed.Conclusion: The outbreak was caused by Vibrio Cholera. Socio-cultural practices surrounding burial such as overcrowding, ceremonial killing of animals and communal eating together may have contributed to its widespread. A system thinking approach such as behavior change communication and community dialogue are needed for Cholera control.

Background: Family planning has been adopted as one of the strategies for improving maternal and child health. Family planning is beneficial in reducing maternal and child mortality and therefore, a vital strategy to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This study determined the knowledge, attitude, perceived partner and socio-cultural support for family planning among women of reproductive age in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 113 respondents attending antenatal clinic in a Primary health care facility in Nwezenyi village of Izzi Local Government Area. Data collection was in January 2019 over a 4-week period using interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 and 95% confidence interval was used with a p-value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Chi square statistics was used to determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and family planning knowledge. Predictors of family planning knowledge were determined with binary logistic regression using odds ratio as the measure of effect. Results: More than half of the respondents (65.5%) had good knowledge while almost all respondents (93.8%) had good attitude towards family planning. Few of the respondents reported that their doctrine/religion and culture supported family planning (23.9% and 23% respectively). Increasing age (AOR: 5.84, 95%CI: 1.85-18.46) and higher education (AOR: 16.69, 95%CI: 4.63-60.20) were predictors of family planning knowledge. Conclusion: There was good knowledge and positive attitude towards family planning among respondents, but cultural and doctrinal support of family planning were poor. Higher education and older age were predictors of family planning knowledge.

Background: Effective vaccination communication with parents is critical in efforts to overcome barriers to childhood vaccination, tackle vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccination coverage. Health workers should be able to provide information to caregivers and support them in decision making about vaccinating their children. Limited information exists regarding the awareness, perceptions to childhood immunisation reminders and recall system in Abakaliki. This study, therefore, assessed the awareness, perceptions of caregivers to childhood immunisation reminders and recall system in improving immunisation coverage in Abakaliki. Materials and Methods: A descriptive analytical study design comparing two large health facilities (Mile-Four and St.Vincent Hospitals in Ebonyi and Izzi Local Government Areas respectively) in Ebonyi State was used for the survey. The study duration was three months. Sample size was determined using the formula for comparing two proportions. Data were collected using semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire from 145 caregiver-child pair from each group. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 was used for analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee (REC) of the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Nigeria.  Results: The mean age of respondents in Mile-Four and St.Vincent hospitals were 26.6 ±4.9 years and 27.1±4.2 years respectively. Higher proportion of caregivers in Mile-Four group (18.6%) than in St.Vincent group (14.5%) had ever heard of immunisation reminders and recalls prior to this study. Similarly, only 8.3% of caregivers in Mile-Four and 4.8% in St.Vincent had ever been reminded and/or recalled on the course of their children’s immunisation uptake. A comparable proportion of respondents in Mile-Four (93.1%) and St.Vincent (94.5%) perceived reminders and recalls very important. There was a significant relationship between respondent's marital and educational status and positive perception about immunisation reminders and recalls in Mile-Four and respondent’s age and marital status and positive perception about immunisation reminders and recalls in St.Vincent (p<0.05). Conclusion: Respondents’ awareness was low but positive perception to reminders and recall was found. It is pertinent for health policy makers and programme managers to understand these factors when implementing immunisation communication system.

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