NAN-HG-1
Health
By Modupe Seriboh
Ibadan, May 26, 2017 (NAN) A Professor of Epidemiology, Olufunmilayo Fawole, has advocated the training of more Epidemiologists to enable Nigeria enhance the quantification of health events.
Fawole, a lecturer in the Faculty of Public Health, University of Ibadan, made the call while delivering an inaugural lecture at the institution on Thursday evening.
The lecture was entitled: “The 5Ws: The Epidemiologist Quest.”
She said that researchers, clinicians and project managers need to acquire basic epidemiological skills to enable them have good practice and conduct good research.
According to her, training in epidemiology will promote robust study designs and guide appropriate response to public health action as well as shape policy decision and evidence clinical based practice.
The don described epidemiology as a study of what befalls a population in the distribution and determinants of health-related state or events.
These, she said, include the number of cases of malaria, meningitis or diabetes mellitus in a population.
She said that her research showed Nigeria has the greatest malaria burden among countries of the world.
” In Nigeria, malaria is responsible for 33 per cent of the under -five mortality and 11 per cent of maternal mortality,’’ Fawole said.
According to her, study on the case management of this highly endemic disease shows caregivers of children under five years were guilty of self medication with orthodox drugs as common practice.
She called for more community based studies and projects implementation research to improve public health in the country.
“Community oriented projects have the advantage of improving the health of large number of persons and quickly too,” she said.
The don said that the use of epidemiology method and the five Ws of “What, Who, Where, When, and Why’’ has guided the national policy on eradication of polio and disease surveillance. (NAN)
MAM/IKU/OJO
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(Edited by Tayo Ikujuni/Mufutau Ojo)