Environmental Impacts And Dangers Of Polythene bags : A Case Study Of Jalingo Metropolis

ABSTRACT

Polythene bags  litter is a major environmental and public health problem, particularly in the urban and peri-urban areas of Taraba. Due to the many problems caused by plastic litter the main objective of the study was to establish on the social – economic hazards occasioned by Polythene bags  litter in peri- urban centres of Jalingo The research adopted a descriptive research design This approach allowed the researcher to gather information, summarize, present and interpret it for the purpose of clarification. The study used questionnaires to collect empirical data from the obtained sample size. Each item in the questionnaire was developed to address a specific objective and research questions. The analysis was done as per questionnaires that were used to collect data and the results presented in tables and figures to highlight the major findings. They are also presented sequentially according to the research questions of the study.

The study found out that the condition of polythene bags littering has gone from bad to worse due to unchecked littering. Besides visual pollution, polythene bags litter is non-biogradable and thus accumulates. Its disposal method is a challenge as polythene bags waste recycling is not economically viable. Polythene bags litter contributes to blockage of sewers and drainages, poses threat to biotic species and biotic components when incinerated, buried or damped. Furthermore, when filled with rainwater, Polythene bags  litter become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which cause malaria. In landfills, it acts as a habitat for vectors that transmits pathogens like flies and rodents.

There is no immediate alternative paper bag that is likely to replace polythene bags in the near future. Due to the enormous environmental problems caused by the Polythene bags  litter, the study recommended that immediate public awareness be made to the consumers on the hazards that are occasioned by the Polythene bags . Other strategies to curb the behavior of litter- louting include the reduction in manufacturing of plastic paper bag, re-use, recycling and re- collection of the polythene bags litter. Other measures to curb the behavior of polythene bags litter are, establishment of litter collection points in strategic litter generating points, imposing stiff penalties to litter- louters, imposing a tax on any polythene bags produced and putting a place mechanisms and processes of polythene bags collection at county levels.

Knowledge And Perception of Hookworm Infection Among Primary School Students In Nigeria

CHAPTER /INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Hookworm infection in humans is caused by helminth nematode parasites Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale and is acquired through contact with contaminated soil (Hotez et al., 2004). Hookworm infection is widespread in tropical and subtropical parts of the world and is rampant particularly in impoverished countries. In the Philippines, the prevalence of hookworm infection nationwide ranged from 40% to 61%, varying only by province (Cabrera, 1998; Shaw et al., 2010).

Hookworm infection has many public health consequences but the major public health consequence is iron deficiency anemia (Awasthi et al., 2003; Bundy et al., 2004; Crompton and Nesheim, 2002; Farid et al., 1968; Hotez et al., 2004; Larocque et al., 2005; Stoltzfuz et al., 1996). Anemia caused by hookworm infection among pregnant women can cause adverse effects on the outcome of pregnancy (Allen, 2000; Bundy et al., 2004). Among infants and pre-school children, hookworm disease can result in growth stunting (Crompton and Nesheim, 2002) and behavioral deficits (Bundy et al., 2004; Farid et al., 1968; Hotez et al., 2004). Anemia caused by hookworm infection in school children may also adversely affect their intellectual and cognitive development (Ezeamama et al., 2005; Hotez et. al, 2004; Kvaslig et al., 1991; Pollitt et al., 1989; Soewondo et al., 1998; Stoltzfus et al., 2001). Indeed, a child with hookworm infection is often sick and absent from school, and frequent absences inevitably impede his learning ability. The cumulative effect of hookworm disease in the development of a child has far-reaching consequences. Growth and behavior deficits, low development quotients, cognitive impairments and underachievement in the prime of the child’s life will substantially affect his ability to be productive in his adult years.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

There are several factors which affect the development of hookworm infection. These factors have been shown to operate at different levels. Hookworm infection is influenced, not only by individual-level factors, but also by environmental factors. Despite the customary assumption that hookworm transmission is a simple matter of poor hygiene, hookworm transmission depends on many components of the environment that affect hookworm larval activity. The transmission is not solely dependent on poor personal cleanliness because the eggs or ova are not infective to man. In fact, if ova are not deposited in soil, transmission will not occur.

The typical persistent nature of hookworm infection can be attributed to personal hygiene practices of the human hosts as well as exposure of the etiologic agents to environment that favor the survival of the infective larvae. Hence, this study investigates, precisely, the relationship between environmental and individual characteristics with the risk of hookworm infection. It also examines the variability in the individual’s risk caused by the clustering of individuals in barangays and provinces. By simultaneously analyzing the correlates of hookworm infection on different levels, the study offers itself as a contribution to the body of research done on hookworm infection.