Waste generated by health care activities includes a broad range of materials, from used needles and syringes to soiled dressings, body parts, diagnostic samples, blood, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and radioactive materials WHO, .Poor management of health care waste potentially exposes health care workers, waste handlers, patients and the community at large to infection, toxic effects and injuries, and risks polluting the environment. It is essential that all medical waste materials are segregated at the point of generation, appropriately treated and disposed of safely WHO, . Healthcare waste HCW is a by-product of healthcare that includes sharps, non-sharps, blood, body parts, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and radioactive materials.WHO Programme activities include developing technical guidance materials for assessing the quantities and types of waste produced in different facilities, creating national action plans, developing national healthcare waste management HCWM guidelines and building capacity at national level to enhance the way HCW is dealt with in low-income countries LICs .Classification of Health Care wastes shows that . Of the total amount of waste generated by health-care activities, about % is general waste.

A survey of intestinal parasite infections in a heavy metal (Pb) mining area of Abia State (Ishiagu) was carried out using both direct wet preparation and formal/ether concentration methods. A total 512 individuals ranging from primary and secondary school children to adults were screened. Of the number sampled, 177 (34.67 %) had various intestinal parasites. The parasite prevalence were Ascaris lumbricoides (17.80 %), Hookworms (14.80%) Entamoeba histoly ca (3.70 %) and Trichuris trichiura (2.3 %). Prevalence for ma es (35.55 %) and females (33.47%) were not significantly different (P < 0 05). Age distribution of the infections showed a gradual increase from < 10 years (14.0%) to 11-20 years group (36.67%) and peaked at 21-30 years w h 57.00 % before decreasing to the least in the > 51 years (27.02 %). This gave a significant age related infection (P < 0.05). The findings were discussed in relation to the rural nature of the community and the activities at the head mining s tes.

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Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder; however, in Nigeria and other tropical regions, the causes of epileptic seizures differ greatly in etiology. This paper is an attempt to highlight some possible microbiological aspects of epileptic seizures. A literature review was carried out to identify the extent to which microbial infections were involved in the elicitation of epileptic seizures. Data were collected from several clinics in the community and hospitals in Nigeria and correlated with the evidence from the literature review. It was found that different microbial agents including viral, bacterial, protozoa, and fungal agents were involved in several aspects of epileptic seizures. Malaria was found to cause more than 88% of childhood epileptic seizures and 12% of adult seizures. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures occurred in more than 40% of adult patients. Partial seizures were uncommon. Cases of epileptic seizures associated with bacteria (e.g., brucellosis), viral, fungal, and protozoa infections were frequently reported. Malaria, tapeworm, and cysticercosis were some of the common infectious causes of epilepsy; however, in some cases, the cause remained unknown. From these findings, it was evident that microbiological aspects of epilepsies are possible research areas that might be developed. It is believed that the unraveling of the various microbiological factors in epileptic seizures would have important implications for understanding the underlying neurobiology, evaluating treatment strategies, and perhaps planning health-care resources for the affected. It will also help to improve the prognostic factors in initial seizure symptomatic etiology and presence of any structural cerebral abnormalities.

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