Epidemiology of Diseases among Patients Attending an Outpatient Primary Health Care Clinic in a Newly Liberated Town in North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Mafa local government area of Borno state was one of the many communities affected by the Boko Haram insurgency crisis in Nigeria. It had been deserted for almost three years after most of its residents had fled the town before it was later liberated. The town basically comprised of returnees and internally displaced persons from remote villages of Mafa. Such disasters are usually associated with several public health problems and the need for external support. This study aimed to determine the distribution of diseases among patients attending the only functional health centre in the town. A cross-sectional study was carried out over a two-week period at the Primary Health Care clinic in which a structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. A total of 1,474 persons were included in the final analysis. Most of them were Kanuri and town dwellers. Among the general population, malaria, respiratory tract infection and diarrhoeal disease were the commonest ailments. While most patients presented with a single diagnosis, many also presented with multiple health problems. Apart from malaria which showed a higher occurrence among town dwellers and diarrhoeal disease which showed a higher occurrence among IDP camp dwellers, there was no significant difference in the other ailments between camp and town dwellers. This study points to a need to deploy more qualified health staff with an emphasis on health promotion through personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.