Purpose. Mpox cases were previously common in children; recent outbreaks of clade II have mostly affected young adults. Therefore, this study examines the knowledge, attitudes, and seroprevalence of the Mpox virus among consenting participants in Ibadan. Materials and methods. Eligible individuals were those who voluntarily participated in the study and met the inclusion criteria specified for the study. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 94 respondents, investigating socio-demographic factors, awareness levels, attitudes toward prevention, and infection rates. The anti-Mpox virus IgG antibody was detected quantitatively using the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. The data were then analyzed using the χ2 test, while the antibody quantification was displayed with a Box and Whisker plot; statistical significance was determined at p 0.05. Results. The majority of respondents were female (66.7%) and aged 58 years and above (20.0%). Most had tertiary (40.0%) and secondary education (34.4%). Awareness of the Mpox was moderate, with 61.1% having heard of the virus, primarily through news (20.0%) and healthcare workers (18.9%). However, knowledge gaps were evident: only 38.9% recognized symptoms, and 40.0% understood modes of transmission. Attitudes towards prevention were generally positive; 60.0% believed Mpox could be prevented, and 73.3% were willing to take a vaccine. Still, readiness to engage in screening was low; 81.1% had never been tested, and 58.9% were unaware of local test availability. Regarding seroprevalence, females showed a significantly higher infection rate (27.4%) than males (9.6%) (χ2 = 3.854, p = 0.050). Age-wise, the highest infection rates occurred in those 18 years (61.5%) and 53–57 years (66.6%) (χ2 = 30.817, p = 0.000), indicating significant age-related differences. Conclusion. The findings highlight the need for targeted public health education, increased test access, and focused intervention strategies to improve Mpox virus prevention and control, especially among vulnerable age groups and under-informed populations.

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a public health challenge globally, associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and known to be highly endemic in developing countries. Its comorbidity with cancer in infected patients poses greater challenge in their management. This study was therefore designed to determine the burden of HBV infection and its correlation among cancer patients assessing care in a tertiary health facility in southwest Nigeria.Methodology: A total of 122 plasma samples from consenting cancer patients were tested for Hepatitis B surface Antigen (HBsAg) using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay and their plasma HBV DNA quantified by COBAS Amplicor HBV Monitor assay. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and chi-square (χ2) test was used to determine association while p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: An overall HBsAg rate of 13.9% was found among the study population. The distribution of HBsAg positivity among the subjects with condition of cancer showed 9(23.7%) with chronic liver disease (CLD), 4(10.8%) in primary liver carcinoma (PLCC) and 4(8.5%) with pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO). The CLD group had highest viral infectivity (Mean=8324.3 Copies/Ml) and lowest among those with PLCC (468.4 Copies/Ml). The rate for HBsAg was higher in male (14.7%) than in their female (13.0%) counterparts with significant statistical association by gender (p>0.0314) and peaked (23.5%) among age group 20-29 years.Conclusion: This study identified high rate of HBV infection among the population and could be investigated as a predictor for cancer. This finding is vital in the management of cancer patients coinfected with HBV.

Consumption of fruits and vegetables which are known to be highly nutritious has been linked to foodborne disease outbreaks which constitute food safety and public concern. This study aimed to assess the safety of selected fruits and vegetables from fruit markets and home gardens, within the South-West region of Nigeria. A total of fifty-three (53) samples of watermelon, cucumber, tomatoes and garden eggs were collected and subjected to microbiological analysis. Isolated bacteria were screened for their pathogenicity and spoilage potential using haemolysis and amylase production tests respectively. A total of 146 bacteria were isolated, 75 (45.7%) were from retail samples and 71 (43.3%) from the home garden. The genera: Bacillus (15.9%), Corynebacterium (11.0%), Lactobacillus (1.2%), Listeria (1.8%), Staphylococcus (12.8%), Enterococcus (1.2%), Micrococcus (1.2%), Acinetobacter (3.7%), Aeromonas (2.4%), Alcaligenes (0.6%), Brucella (0.6%), Vibrio (0.6%), and the family Enterobacteriaceae (36.0%) were identified. Isolates with haemolytic potentials were 51 (31%) while 49 (30%) could cause spoilage. The overall microbiological quality and safety of fruit and vegetable samples analysed in this study is low, as they were contaminated by diverse pathogenic, and spoilage microorganisms. The presence of these pathogens in retailed and home garden fruits and vegetables is a pointer to public health risks and food safety threats. Hence, the need for improved hygienic practice through training handlers along the supply chain.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is considered to be the ninth leading cause of death and is one of the major public health problems in the world. The prevalence of hepatitis in Nigeria has been rated to be 8.3%. Hence, this study investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in a tertiary institution in Oyo State. Informed consent were obtained from the out-patients attending institution clinics. The design was a cross-sectional study and questionnaires were administered to investigate their knowledge and attitude towards safer practices against the spread of HBV. The seroprevalence of the participants were examined with LabAcon rapid kit with 98.2% - 100% and 97.2% - 99.8 for specificity and sensitivity respectively. The population distribution was observed to 45 (90%) female and 5 (10%) male. The prevalence of the HBsAg was found to be 10%. The prevalence of HBsAg among female participants was 11.1%. The relationship between knowledge of HBV infection and sex was insignificant (0.546) however the relationship between knowledge of HBV infection and age was significant (0.004). The occurrence of HBV infection is still area of concern because of the possibility of the virus to spread. This spread could better be curtailed based on regular awareness about the infection.