Prince Lassemento Fully

Background: Diarrhoeal infections remain a serious public health problem in West Africas urban slums, where Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices play an important role in disease transmission. This study investigates the sociodemographic factors that determine WASH practices and their impact on diarrhoeal disease in West Point, Liberias largest slum neighbourhood. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in West Point, Montserrado County, Liberia, between December 2024 and January 2025. Using systematic random selection, 250 households were selected from five geographic zones. WASH practices, socio-demographic variables, and the frequency of diarrhoeal disease were collected using standardised questionnaires based on WHO/UNICEF JMP standards. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics, chisquare tests, odds ratio calculations, and multivariate logistic regression. Results: According to the survey, 27.2 percent of households had diarrhoea in the last three months, much higher than the national average of 22 percent. Households with no formal education had a 2.84-fold increased incidence of diarrhoea (AOR = 2.84). Access to improved water was 52.0 percent, sanitation was 25.6 percent, and hygiene was 11.2 percent, with just 1.6 percent of families having access to all three components. There were significant regional inequalities, with the South Zone and Coastal Zone having the highest diarrhoea rates. Inadequate formal education, low water availability, and open defecation behaviours all significantly predicted diarrhoea, according to a logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: West Point's WASH practices are poor and are significantly associated with diarrhoea. Insufficient combined WASH access and high loads in certain areas underscore the need for tailored interventions. The findings suggest comprehensive strategies that prioritise improvements in water quality, sanitation infrastructure, and hygiene education, particularly in highburden areas and among people with low educational backgrounds.

Background: Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) pose a significant public health risk in Liberia. While malaria remains endemic, emerging arboviruses offer an increasing danger. This study examined community-level knowledge, attitudes, practices (KAP), and perceptions of environmental risk regarding MBD in Montserrado County, Liberia. Method: A community-based crosssectional survey of 384 adults from seven distinct socioeconomic categories was conducted in Montserrado County. Data were collected using a validated and pretested questionnaire and analysed in R (version 4.3.0). The independent predictors of health-promoting activities were identified using descriptive statistics, Pearsons chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA for group comparisons, and multivariable logistic regression. Results: The data found that malaria awareness was high (98.2 percent), but dengue (24.7 percent) and chikungunya (12.0 percent) had significant knowledge gaps. The mean knowledge score was 12.66 + 3.12 (maximum 20), whereas the mean practice score was 6.53 + 1.60. Higher education levels were significantly associated with higher knowledge scores (F = 168.93, p 0.001) but not with yellow fever vaccination status (x2 = 4.57, p = 0.335). There was a substantial positive correlation between knowledge and practice scores. Despite high awareness of environmental risks (36.05 + 5.56), implementing consistent preventive measures was challenging due to structural constraints. Conclusion: The findings indicate a significant knowledge-practice gap, with a special focus on non-malarial arboviruses. Malaria-centric paradigms should be replaced with Integrated Vector Management (IVM). Policymakers in West Africa must address the structural and environmental risk factors of MBD to enable long-term community-based prevention.

Background: Although HIV and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) have similar transmission patterns in West Africa, little is known about how the population perceives HIV/HBV co-infection. This study examines peoples attitudes, knowledge, and health-seeking habits in three Liberian communities about HIV/HBV coinfection. Methods: From December 2025 to January 2026, we conducted a community-based survey in Todee, St. Paul River, and Greater Monrovia. A standardized questionnaire, guided by the Health Belief Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior, was given to 40 individuals who were purposefully chosen. The analysis used descriptive statistics, chi-square testing, and logistic regression. Results: Only 65.0 percent of participants knew about Hepatitis B, and only 35.0 percent identified HIV/HBV co-infection, despite 95.0 percent being aware of HIV/AIDS. Educational level strongly influenced testing behaviours and knowledge outcomes (beta = 0.42, p less than 0.01). The major obstacle to healthcare access was reported as cost (40.0 percent), followed by fear of stigma (22.5 percent). Trust in healthcare practitioners was modest (mean 2.60/5), while felt stigma was high (3.52/5). The logistic model showed that HIV testing was substantially predicted by education (OR=1.8, 95 percent CI: 1.2-2.7) and healthcare trust (OR=1.5, 95 percent CI: 1.1-2.1). Conclusions: The Liberian population has significant information deficits about HIV/HBV co-infection. The findings highlight the need to remove financial barriers, eliminate stigma, train healthcare workers, and provide comprehensive health information. The cultural context of Liberia's post-conflict situation should inform these efforts.

Objectives: Using machine-learning approaches, the researchers aimed to identify and prioritise drivers of incomplete measles vaccination among children aged 12-23 months in Grand Bassa County, Liberia. Design: Cross-sectional research conducted in a community setting. Setting: Five randomly chosen districts in Grand Bassa County, Liberia, containing both urban and rural communities. Participants: 374 caregivers of infants aged 12-23 months, recruited using multistage sampling between October 2024 and February 2025. The response rate was 87.0 parcent. Primary and secondary outcome measures: The primary outcome was MCV2 completion. MCV1 coverage and dropout rates were considered secondary outcomes. The important determinants were found using ensemble machine learning (Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM) with weighted voting. Results: MCV1 coverage was 62.8 parcent (95 parcent CI: 59.8 to 65.8), and MCV2 coverage was 43.6 parcent (95 parcent CI: 40.6 to 46.6), resulting in a 30.6 parcent dropout rate. The ensemble model attained an accuracy of 60.0 parcent (AUC = 0.585, 95 parcent CI: 0.545 to 0.625). The greatest predictors discovered by feature importance analysis were caregiver education (importance=0.156), distance to health facility (importance=0.142), trust in health workers (importance=0.138), and measles knowledge (importance=0.131). Conclusions: Caregiver education, geographic access, provider trust, and knowledge all substantially impact measles vaccination completion. Targeted interventions that address these characteristics might significantly increase vaccination coverage in Liberia and other low-resource countries.