Improving Vaccination Coverage Through Community Pharmacy Service Delivery in Nigeria: The COVID-19 Experience and Implications for Policy Review Yejide Olukemi Oseni, Ukamaka Gladys Okafor, Taofik Oladipupo Odukoya, Hamidu Adediran Oluyedun, Abiodun Abdulah Ajibade, et al. Health Care Science, 2025 ABSRACTBackgroundGlobally, the use of community pharmacies and pharmacists in the delivery of vaccination services has been hampered by several factors, laws, and regulations that do not support pharmacists to participate in the delivery of vaccination services. With the advent of COVID‐19 pandemic, many countries have included community pharmacists and pharmacies in vaccination services to improve coverage. This study described the delivery of vaccination services in community pharmacies using the COVID‐19 experience and how their involvement impacted vaccination coverage in Nigeria. It also exposed how this experience can be used to support policy revisions to formally recognize pharmacists in immunization delivery.MethodsA descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted among 474 community pharmacists in two southwestern States in Nigeria, using a semi‐structured questionnaire. It determines the number of community pharmacists who have been trained in the delivery of vaccination services, the types of vaccination services provided, and vaccines administered in their pharmacies. Data were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics and p‐value at ≤ 0.05.ResultsResponse rate was 86.7%. Less than half of the respondents (40.1%) had undergone vaccination training. Of the 129 (31.4%) respondents that provide vaccination services, 72 (55.8%) administer vaccines in their pharmacies. Out of these 72 respondents; 45 (62.5%) were administering vaccines before their involvement in COVID‐19 vaccine administration; 57 (79.2%) of the health personnel who administer vaccines were pharmacists; 60 (83.3%) of them administer vaccines on request; 22 (30.6%) administered COVID‐19 vaccines only; and only 7 (9.7%) of the respondents had administered over 500 doses of COVID‐19 vaccines. Training in vaccination was associated with the vaccination services provided (p = 0.000). Respondents suggested government support through legal framework and policy review, training and empowering pharmacists in vaccine administration, and recognition of community pharmacists as PHC providers.ConclusionTraining of community pharmacists in vaccination services had increased the number of respondents' involvement in the delivery of the services while the delivery of COVID‐19 vaccination by community pharmacists had increased the number of clients vaccinated, hence improved coverage in Nigeria. Also, policy review and inclusion of community pharmacists and pharmacies in the national database will improve vaccination coverage and immunization service delivery in Nigeria.
Vitamin C Protects Against Blood and Thyroid Toxicities Induced by the Chronic Use of Carbamazepine in Rats Ganiu Jimoh Akorede, Suleiman Folorunsho Ambali, Aisha Omobolanle Olatunji, Abdulfatai Aremu, Akeem Olayiwola Ahmed, et al. Iranian Journal of Toxicology, 2023 Background: Drugs are the mainstay of the clinical management of epilepsy. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is commonly used for treating epilepsy and neuropathic pain. This drug has been reported to have toxic effects on the hematological system due to its induction of oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of vitamin C against hematological and thyroid toxicities caused by the chronic use of carbamazepine in male Wistar rats. Methods: Thirty-two adult Wistar rats were categorized randomly into four groups of eight rats each and treated as follows: Group 1 received distilled water (2 mL/kg); group 2 was treated with vitamin C (100 mg/kg); group 3 received carbamazepine (20 mg/kg), and group 4 was pre-treated with vitamin C (100 mg/kg) and given carbamazepine (20 mg/kg) 30 min later. All treatments were administered via gavage once per day over fifteen consecutive weeks. The rats’ blood samples were tested for changes in hematological parameters while the sera were evaluated for liver biochemical enzymes and thyroid hormone levels. Results: The results revealed that pre-treatment with vitamin C protected against alterations in parameters associated with hematological and thyroid toxicities. Conclusion: Based on the study results, it was concluded that: a) The chronic use of CBZ caused hematological and thyroid toxicities, and b) Vitamin C protected against these toxicities. Therefore, it is highly likely that vitamin C has the potential to protect experimental animals against injuries induced by CBZ to the liver, blood cells, and hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in a Wistar rat model.
A cross-sectional questionnaire survey on knowledge of anti-protozoal drug use and resistance among AHPs in Kwara State, Nigeria Nusirat Elelu, Grace Agene, Fatima Sanusi, Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Mustapha BMC Veterinary Research, 2022 Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health crisis. However, there is a paucity of data on anti-protozoal resistance (APR), especially in animals. Hence, we assessed the knowledge of prudent antiprotozoal drug usage (APU) and resistance among animal health practitioners (AHPs) in Kwara State, Nigeria.A cross-sectional survey of 435 AHPs was performed in Kwara State from the 5th of March to the 31st of July 2020 using a structured and validated questionnaire. We used logistic regression analysis to identify socio-demographic factors that are associated with the satisfactory perception of prudent APU and good knowledge of APR among AHPs.Our findings showed that 80.2% (n = 349) of the AHPs in Kwara state had a good knowledge of APR with a mean knowledge score of 5.8 ± 1.2. In the same vein, 75.6% (n = 329) of the AHPs had a satisfactory perception of prudent APU with a mean score of 3.84 ± 1.21. Only 10.1% of the AHPs had observed treatment failures after the use of anti-protozoal drugs. Most of the AHPs (75.6%) believed that APR poses a significant threat to animal production and health globally. Logistic regression analysis showed that female AHPs were more likely (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 0.91, 5.20; p < 0.005) to have better knowledge of APR than their male counterparts. AHPs with tertiary education were likely (OR: 2.77; 95% CI: 0.96, 4.99; p < 0.05) to be more knowledgeable about APR and have satisfactory perceptions of APU (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.99; p = 0.07) respectively. Finally, veterinarians were 3.76 times (95% CI:1.26, 9.25; p < 0.001) more likely to have good knowledge of APR and better perceptions of APU (OR: 3.28; 95% CI: 1.89, 5.68; p < 0.001) than other AHPs respectively.To control antimicrobial resistance, continuous training of AHPs especially para-veterinary officers is essential to update their knowledge on prudent antimicrobial usage and prevent the emergence of resistant protozoan parasites.
Effect of heat stress on vital and hematobiochemical parameters of healthy dogs Oyebisi Mistura Azeez, Folashade Helen Olaifa, Adakole Sylvanus Adah, Afisu Basiru, Ganiu Jimoh Akorede, et al. Veterinary World, 2022 Background and Aim: Heat stress is a major challenge for animals, impairing their welfare and performance. This study aimed to determine the effect of heat stress on the vital and hematobiochemical parameters of healthy dogs. Materials and Methods: The experimental subjects comprised 10 dogs, encompassing seven males and three non-pregnant females between 2 and 3 years of age. Ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) were recorded 2 hourly during the day and the temperature humidity index was calculated. Vital parameters [i.e., rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate, and heart rate (HR)] were assessed and blood was collected from each dog daily for hematobiochemical analysis. Results: The RT (38.5±0.2°C) of dogs exposed to high AT and high RH (HA/HR) conditions was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of dogs exposed to HA and low RH (LR) conditions (37.2±0.11°C). Under HA/HR conditions, packed cell volume, hemoglobin concentrations, and white blood cell counts were significantly lower than those of the same dogs exposed to HA/LR conditions. Conversely, under HA/HR conditions, the lymphocyte, monocyte, eosinophil, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and cortisol values were significantly higher (p<0.05) than the values obtained in dogs exposed to HA/LR conditions. Meanwhile, the alkaline phosphatase, urea, and glucose levels were significantly lower (p<0.05) in dogs exposed to HA/HR conditions. Conclusion: The exposure of healthy dogs to HA/HR conditions induced heat stress, which may have an adverse effect on their immune status, thereby affecting their health and welfare.
