Biosafety knowledge, waste disposal practices and identification of parasites in biomedical wastes from healthcare establishments in Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, the level of biosafety awareness is low among workers in Health Care Establishments (HCEs) and neither have pathogenic organisms in wastes from HCEs been identified. Studies were therefore carried out to examine the level of biosafety awareness and the biomedical waste disposal practices in selected HCEs in Abuja and Lagos respectively as well as identify parasites from HCE wastes from Lagos prior to final disposal. A total of 200 questionnaires were administered to HCE workers in Abuja and Lagos respectively for information on their knowledge of biosafety and how biomedical wastes are disposed. Also, samples of urine (40) and stools (50) from 90 HCEs in Lagos were examined for presence of parasites using standard parasitological methods comprising of direct wet mount and formol ether concentration techniques. Both urine and stool were examined with 5 % lugol iodine and kinyoun carbol fuschin stain. Result showed that HCE workers had knowledge of the basics of biosafety but those in Lagos understood more than the ones in Abuja. Trichomonas vaginalis was identified in one of the urine samples. Female stool (22 %) had the highest prevalence of intestinal parasites relative to males (4 %). Entamoeba histolytica (6 %), Ascaris lumbricoides (6 %) and Cryptosporidium spp. (6 %) were prevalent in the stool samples. These results underscore the need for more enlightenment and education for HCE workers in respect of biosafety. It further showed that the HCEs in Lagos disposed biomedical wastes improperly, which can lead to further transmission of pathogenic organisms.

Keywords: Biosafety knowledge, Health Care Establishments, Biomedical waste disposal, Parasites, Parasitological methods