ASSESSMENT OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF COVID-19 GUIDELINES AMONG STUDENTS WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, PANKSHIN

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background to the Study

Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) is an illness caused by a novel corona-virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome. This pandemic was first identified in patient with severe respiratory disease in Wuhan city, Hubel Province of China. According to Zhou, Zhu, Li and Huang (2020) coronavirus (COVs) are a large group of viruses common among many animals including humans. They can cause respiratory illnesses in human and gastro intestinal illnesses in animals. Typically, corona virus symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough, sore throat, headache, shortness of breadth or difficulty breathing, chest pain or pressure muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, excessive diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, confusion and skin rashes, difficulty in feeding, especially infants and it can last for several days (Zhang and Liu, 2020).

According to Zhou and Huang (2020) the causative agent was a novel coronavirus scientifically named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) since its discovery more than 2, 850, 000 cases have been infected including nearly 200, 000 who have died. The worrisome features of Covid-19 are its apparent ability to spread readily and its propensity to cause severe disease in order adults and patients with existing health conditions (Guan and Hui, 2020). The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to disruptions to health, economics, politics and social order all across the world. The pandemic has been affecting the fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have been preventing farmers from accessing markets, including for buying inputs and selling their produce and agricultural workers from harvesting crops, thus disrupting domestic and international food supply chains and reducing access to healthy safe and diverse diet. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall ill and die. The food security and nutrition of millions of women and men are under threat with those in low income countries, particularly the most marginalized populations which include small-scale farmers and indigenous people being hardest hit (Olapegba, Ayandele, Kolawole, Oguntayo, Gandi et, 2020).

It was reported initially reported to the World Health Organization on December 31^st 2019 (Bender, 2020). This new virus can be transmitted just in minutes through droplets or even touching surface metals or other materials which have been infected from a person who has the respiratory problems (Bender, 2020, Meng, Hua and Bian, 2020) on January 30^th 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. In Nigeria, the federal ministry of Health confirmed the first case of the pandemic in Lagos on the 27^th of February, 2020. The case was an Italian citizen who walk in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos Nigeria on the 25^th February, 2020. He was confirmed by the virology laboratory of the Lagos Teaching Hospital part of the laboratory Network of the Nigeria Center for disease control. By March 11, 2020, the world Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. However, Plateau State recorded its first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Jos-south Local Government Area on the 23^rd April, 2020. The patient was a 20 year old female seamstress who had travelled for a wedding in neighboring Kano State. Kano remains one of the epicenter of COVID-19 out break in Nigeria. Since April 2020, cases of COVID-19 in the state have continued to increase. By July 14^th 2020, Plateau State had reported 57 cases of the pandemic (COVID-19) with 260 discharged and recorded 16 death. Despite the fact that the case of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has not been discovered in Pankshin Local Government Area that does not mean that the virus does not exist.

According to Aljazeera (2020) Labor market are seeing a sharp rise in unemployment for both young people and adults and a sudden shift to tele-working through the use of digital technologies and Pankshin Local Government Area of Plateau State has been no exception. School closures impact not only students, Lecturers and families but have far-reaching economic and societal consequences in Pankshin Local Government Area.

According to Aremu (2000) students with hearing impairment are individuals who has hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound; this includes the subject of deaf and hard of hearing. Their degree of hearing impairment ranges from mild to profound. This affects their development of language which makes them to have problems with interaction and some basic skills in life. Ofoegbu (2004) put hearing impairment as lost of auditory channels which prevent the children from receiving and developing language. School closures in response to COVID-19 curtail the spread of virus within the state have shed light on various social and economic issues, including student debt, digital learning, food insecurity and homelessness as well as access to child care, health care, housing, internet and disability services.            

The impact was more severe for students with hearing impairment in FCE Pankshin and their families causing interrupted learning, reduction of International education, disruption of academic calendar, cancellation of Local and international conferences, creating teaching and learning gap, loss of man power in the educational institutions and cut in budget of higher education. With no proven and acceptable pharmaceutical cure, the best way to curb the virus and prevent it from spreading may therefore be the adoption of precautionary behaviors. In order to introduce and install effective control measures having knowledge about basic hygiene principle and modes of disease transmission and measures in such an environment is therefore of vital importance for persons with hearing impairment. The main goal of the present study was to measure the level of knowledge attitude and practice concerning COVID-19 guidelines among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

• Statement of the Problem

The novel Corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic is unprecedented and its impact continues to threaten economies globally. The pandemic is affecting various industries and sectors, some more than others. The impact of infrastructure can be assessed during any of the following phases: development, construction and operations. A notable adverse impact of the pandemic is the plunge in education as a result of the sharp decline in the continuous running of the educational system emanating from school lockdown and closure. It is worthy of note also that the trajectory of an infectious disease is determined by the behavior of individuals and the behavior is in turn related to individuals risk perception and beliefs about the disease. Also, though there is relatively low knowledge and awareness of COVID-19 aorund the globe and among Nigerian students in particular, there is the possibility that competing myths and sacred narratives may be down playing involvement in precautionary behavior and therefore, it is important to assess the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 guidelines among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

• Purpose of the Study

The aim of this work is to assess the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 guidelines among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin. The study is guided by the following specific objectives:

1. To determine the level of knowledge and practices of COVID-19 among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin
2. To what extent do students with hearing impairment practice the COVID-19 guidelines in Federal College of Education, Pankshin
3. To determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the academic achievement of students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education Pankshin

• Research Questions

1. To what extent are students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education Pankshin know of COVID-19 guidelines?
2. To what extent do students with hearing impairment practice the COVID-19 guidelines in Federal College of Education, Pankshin?
3. To what extent has COVID-19 pandemic affected the academic achievement of students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education Pankshin?

1.5       Significance of the Study

This study intends to assess the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 guidelines among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin. The research work will benefit the students, health practitioners, researchers and the government.

A study of this nature in the COVID-19 era is important because not only will it enlighten students with hearing impairment on the widely acceptable pharmaceutical cure currently unavailable but also change the conspiracy theories of people that have sprung up to a possible decrease in willingness to engage in precautionary behaviors.

Perceptions about the nature and causes of the pandemic are also largely unfounded around evidence and may influence engagement in precautionary behaviors among the people as well.

The study will be used to guide health practitioners on the health promotion and disease prevention programs in times of the COVID-19 or other pandemics and epidemics that may arise in the future. The knowledge obtained would help the government to take drastic steps to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 as it poses serious social and economic vulnerability to people life. Also the knowledge acquired from this study would be very important to other researchers who have interest in the nature of Corona virus in relation to its impacts on the people.

1.6       Scope of the Study

The study is limited to Federal College of Education Pankshin and will be carried out among students with hearing impairment. The study will be focused on getting relevant information on the assessment of the knowledge and practices of COVID-19 guidelines among students with hearing impairment in Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

• Operational Definition of terms

COVID-19: Is an infection disease caused by a newly discovered Corona virus.

Assessment: Is the process of evaluating and measuring the extent at which students with hearing impairment are aware of the COVID-19 guidelines

Knowledge: These are facts, ideas or information that students with hearing impairment has concerning COVID-19

COVID-19 guidelines: These are practices that help in curbing the spread of Corona virus among students with hearing impairment.

Persons with hearing Impairment: Are those whose hearing is non-functional for the ordinary purpose of life with or without amplification.