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Microbes & Immunity Peptic ulcer disease among adolescent girls

3.6. Public health impact of PUD on Adolescent girls gastric cancer. To adopt the strategies suggested by Ding,
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across Africa interventions for educating communities on how to treat
From a critical point of view, there may be inadequate H. pylori infections in Africa should be initiated, beginning
medical facilities or resources in many African communities, with community education and awareness, followed by
particularly in rural regions, for accurately diagnosing and screening programs and identifying high-risk families,
treating PUD in adolescent girls. This infrastructural gap treating infected individuals, monitoring family members,
may prevent prompt access to health-care services and and performing follow-up and surveillance to monitor
appropriate care. Poor hygiene and sanitation habits, such the effectiveness of treatment. Moreover, the proposed
as not having access to sanitary facilities and clean water, approach should be integrated with existing health-care
might further increase the risk of PUD among adolescent infrastructure and ultimately customized according to
girls and facilitate the spread of H. pylori infection. the specific cultural, social, and economic context of each
Effective disease prevention and management depend African country or community. 44
on addressing these environmental factors. Specialist At the local level in Africa, implementing educational
care from pediatricians or gastroenterologists may be initiatives and promoting personal hygiene practices
necessary for adolescent girls with severe or complex among families can help prevent the spread of H. pylori
PUD. Complex case management may be difficult in many infection, as reported in an Ethiopian study. At the
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African communities due to restricted access to these national and subnational levels, strategies similar to those
specialized health-care services. The other possible public used in a Cameroonian study, particularly focusing on
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health implications of PUD among adolescent girls in hygienic and social improvements, can be instrumental in
Africa include psychological problems, such as depression, safeguarding children against H. pylori infection. Finally,
reduced self-esteem, poor concentration, and frustration. at the international level, adopting whole family-based
Another speculation is that persistent complaints of approaches, such as the approach proposed by Ding,
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PUD symptoms among adolescent girls can affect their can contribute to reducing the global burden of H. pylori
relationships with their family, peer groups, and spouses, infection and associated diseases. In Africa, teaching
which may hinder their overall well-being. All these issues families about hygiene and sanitary habits can prevent the
can lead to stigmatization for these girls. spread of H. pylori infections. Ensuring children drink
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4. Recommendation and Future Directions clean water and have good living conditions and utilizing
the whole family approach introduced in China are also
The prevalence of H. pylori infection among adolescents is helpful. Furthermore, African governments should disburse
relatively high in Africa. The infection risk increases with funds for projects and ensure that children, especially
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aging, school attendance, and sharing sleeping spaces with adolescent girls, receive the right support when they feel
multiple individuals. To mitigate this, educating families worried or upset about being infected with H. pylori.
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and promoting personal hygiene among adolescent
girls are crucial, as reported in a study conducted in 5. Limitations
Cameroon. Ding proposed a new approach for addressing The major limitation of our research is that the data available
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H. pylori infections in China. This approach emphasizes
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screening, identifying, treating, and monitoring all high- on PUD and H. pylori infections in adolescent girls in
risk family members to save costs in the later stages of Africa is limited. Therefore, to determine whether H. pylori
treatment. Moreover, the approach aims to prevent is a contributing factor in PUD among adolescent girls in
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bacterial transmission, progression of gastric mucosal Africa, additional original studies, such as quantitative and
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lesions, and incidence of gastric cancer. In addition to qualitative studies and case studies, are needed.
traditional strategies, such as “test and treat” and “screen 6. Conclusion
and treat,” Ding’s study suggests adopting a novel whole
family-based H. pylori prevention and intervention The increasing prevalence of H. pylori infection among
strategy. This comprehensive approach, which is termed adolescents in Africa requires immediate attention. The
the “whole family- or household-based H. pylori precision risk of acquiring this infection is higher for adolescent girls
and integrative eradication strategy,” is deemed practical than for their male counterparts. Implementing preventive
not only for communities with high infection rates but health measures, such as raising awareness and promoting
also for those with low infection rates. After refinement better hygiene practices, can help reduce the likelihood
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and discussion, this strategy could significantly reduce of developing H. pylori infections among young people,
the sources of transmission, enhance public awareness, particularly in adolescent girls, and can improve the overall
and alleviate the burden of H. pylori-related diseases and health of adolescents in Africa.

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2024) 7 doi: 10.36922/mi.3078