COMMUNITY ACQUIRED INFECTIONS

Community-acquired infections (CAIs) are infections contracted outside healthcare facilities and constitute a significant source of morbidity among university students globally, particularly in environments characterized by overcrowding, shared sanitation facilities, poor ventilation, and inadequate hygiene infrastructure. In Nigeria, university halls of residence are defined by high population density and constrained living conditions, creating environments highly conducive to respiratory, gastrointestinal, skin, and vector-borne infection transmission. Despite this burden, comprehensive data on the knowledge, attitudes, hygiene practices, prevalence, treatment-seeking behaviour, and environmental determinants of community-acquired infections among hostel-resident undergraduate students in SouthSouth Nigeria remain scarce.