Prevalence of Common Diseases in a Perturbed Wetland Community of Okorombokho in the Niger-Delta Region, Nigeria

Abstract

Disease outbreak is a major challenge facing many coastal and rural areas due to factors such as inadequate safe water supply, poor sanitation and living conditions. These conditions make human beings vulnerable to infections of varying types, and if neglected, can result in loss of lives. Against this backdrop, prevalence of common diseases in a perturbed wetland of Okorombokho community in Eastern Obolo LGA, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria was investigated. A stratified random sampling technique was used in choosing the study population. A total of 200 questionnaires were retrieved from the respondents and this, together with the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) served as the instruments of data collection. The common diseases that were prevalent in this community in order of increasing magnitude were: Malaria, 87.0% in adults and 44.0% in children, Typhoid fever, 24.0% in adults and 13.5% in children; Diarrhea, 11.0% in adults and 30.0% in children; Dysentery, 15.0% in adults, and 22.5% in children; while Cholera in adults and children was8.0% and 4.0%, respectively. The study showed that lack of potable water supply, use of aquatic ecosystems as dumpsites for wastes, open defecation in water, poor sanitary and environmental conditions and lack of well-equipped modern health care facilities were the enabling factors for the prevalence of these diseases in this community. This calls for prompt responses from the governments, environmental and health protection agencies and community-based organizations in the prevention, control and eradication of these diseases by providing necessary health facilities with adequate personnel and other needed health resources that will ensure that the coastal and rural dwellers live a healthy life.