The Epidemiological Profile of Sokoto State
Abstract
The epidemiological profile of Sokoto state shows the distribution of deaths, illnesses, injuries and other health-related events in Sokoto. This study used the theory of epidemiological transitions to show the changes with time in the epidemiological profile of Sokoto and quantified these changes using proportional mortality rate. The epidemiological transitions are the age of pestilence and famine, the age of receding pandemics, the age of degenerative and man-made diseases, and the age of delayed degenerative diseases respectively. Data from World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) agency databases and Sokoto State Health Strategic plan (HHSP-II) of 2016 used for this study, showed that Sokoto state has progressed from the first epidemiological transition to the second epidemiological transition, featuring the proportional mortality rates (PMR) of communicable diseases, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions (75% of all deaths), non-communicable diseases (21% of all deaths), and other causes (4% of all deaths). The decline in communicable diseases and gradual increase in non-communicable diseases over time shows that Sokoto might be moving towards the third epidemiological transition. Therefore, this profile would serve as a blueprint and valuable tool in making policies, developing, implementing, and evaluating effective intervention and prevention programs, and allocating healthcare resources.
Key figures
