Abstract
Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and it is still a major health problem in Nigeria especially among people with poor socio-economic status. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the prevalence of tuberculosis among two study subjects living in Hayin Dogo community of Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna state: “Al majirai” (Qur’anic school children) and children showing respiratory symptoms The major focus of this study is the al majirai, due to their unhygienic, overcrowded living environments and poor nutritional status. Two hundred sputum samples were collected from the al-majirai, and one hundred from the other children; convenience sampling method was employed. The samples were stained using the Ziehl Neelsen technique and observed microscopically for the presence of acid fast bacilli. The prevalence of acid fast bacilli (AFB) among the Al majirai was 0%, and 12% among the children attending the medical center. Symptoms such as night sweat and bloody sputum, as well as risk factors such as malnutrition and poor housing hygiene were found to be significantly associated with the infection in the children showing respiratory symptoms and attending the Ahmadu Bello University medical center (P<0.05). Highest occurrence of the AFB was observed in children within the ages, 15-18 years, as well as among the male children. Even though a high percentage of the Almajirai were exposed to overcrowding (86%) and poor housing hygiene (79%), there were no positive cases among them. Perhaps, other diagnostic methods other than Ziehl Neelsen could provide more comprehensive information.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease spread by the inhalation of infectious droplets in the air; it has a high mortality rate even though the vaccine is being administered globally
As a result of the fact that the children showing respiratory symptoms showed some positive cases, the data on the questionnaires was used to determine if their gender and age played a role in the infection
It would appear that the number of positive cases increases with the age of the subjects as children in the age group, 7 – years had no acid fast bacilli (AFB) in their sputum, those aged – years had a rate of 6.3%; while those aged – 18 years had the highest percentage of 20%
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease spread by the inhalation of infectious droplets in the air; it has a high mortality rate even though the vaccine is being administered globally. Mycobacterium africanum includes a heterogeneous group of strains which have properties intermediate between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. bovis It can cause human tuberculosis (Arora and Arora, 2008). The almajirai (plural form of almajiri) usually depend on the Islamic school teacher for accommodation and food; they most often live in overcrowded and unhygienic rooms due to their large number. They suffer from malnutrition due to the poor feeding arrangement; as a result of this, they have a low immune status and are susceptible to many diseases, including helminthic infections, skin diseases, and gastrointestinal infections. They suffer from malnutrition due to the poor feeding arrangement; as a result of this, they have a low immune status and are susceptible to many diseases, including helminthic infections, skin diseases, and gastrointestinal infections. (Shuaibu and Jimoh, 2011; Mohammed et al, 2015; Yandoma and Yohanna, 2019)
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