Septic Thrombophlebitis Caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum in an Intravenous Drug User

Septic thrombophlebitis is characterized by venous thrombosis, inflammation and bacteremia, that can lead to fatal complications such as sepsis, septic emboli and even death. Though most commonly caused by indwelling catheters, it is also related to intravenous drug users (IVDU) especially those who attempt to inject drugs into more proximal and central veins. Lemierre’s syndrome, also referred to as post-anginal sepsis or necrobacillosis, is a suppurative thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein. Primary infection is associated with oropharyngeal and dental infections and the most common causative organism is Fusobacterium necrophorum. We report a case of Lemierre’s syndrome in an IVDU, caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, which was inoculated at the site of injection, without a history of sore throat or pharyngitis

Impacts of climate change on crop and irrigation water requirement in the Savannah regions of Ghana

Water sources remain the key sources of irrigation in semi-arid regions. However, future climate changes threaten these sources. The study analysed water requirements of two commonly cultivated crops in the dry season in the Ghanaian Savannah regions under baseline and future periods. Crop water requirement (CWR) and crop irrigation requirement (CIR) were lowest in baseline periods and increased in the 2020 s, 2050 s, and 2080 s for RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 at all locations. CIR was higher for tomato as compared to onions for most locations. Seasonal changes in the CWR ranged from 2–9, 3–12, and 3–12% and 2–8 3–12% and 5–18% for the 2020 s, 2050 s and 2080 s under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5, respectively, for both the crops. Bole and Zuarungu recorded highest increases in CWR for tomato, whereas the least change was observed at Yendi for onions. Changes in seasonal CIR ranged from 3–19, 2–21, and 6–22%, respectively, for the 2020 s, 2050 s and 2080 s for RCP 4.5. Under RCP 8.5, changes in seasonal CIR ranged from 3–23, 5–23, and 6–27% were observed for the 2020 s, 2050 s, and 2080 s, respectively. Highest increases in CIR were noticed at Bole and Zuarungu for tomato, whereas the least change was observed at Wenchi for onions. Findings of the study support zero hunger and climate action, goals 2 and 13 of the SDGs

Assessment of Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) climate scenarios and its impacts on the Greater Accra Region

The effects of climate change (CC) have intensified in Ghana, especially in the Greater Accra region over the last two decades. CC assessment under the new IPCC scenarios and consistent local station data is limited. Consequently, CC assessment is becoming difficult in data-scarce regions in Ghana. This study utilizes six different Regional Climate Models under the 6th IPCC Report’s Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios (SSPs) of the CMIP6, which were bias-corrected with CMhyd over Greater Accra using ground station and PUGMF reanalysis data. The study reveals a reduction and potential shift in the intensity of precipitation in the region under the SSPs. Maximum temperature is expected to increase by 0.81–1.45 C, 0.84–1.54 C, 0.96–1.70 C and 0.98–1.73 C, while minimum temperature would likely increase by 1.33–2.02 C, 1.49–2.22 C, 1.71–4.75 C and 1.75–4.83 C under SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, SSP3–7.0, and SSP5–8.5 scenarios, respectively. Thus, temperature will likely increase, especially at night in the near future. Rising temperatures and changes in precipitation have impacts on all strata of society, from agricultural production to power generation and beyond. These findings can help inform Ghanaian policymaking on Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 13 as well as nationally determined contributions within the Paris Agreement

Operational and structural diagnosis of sewerage and drainage networks in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa

In Cote d’Ivoire, the failure of urban sewage systems is a crucial problem for the drainage of wastewater and rainwater. This failure is due to many factors and therefore, calls for diagnostic studies. The present study aimed at analyzing these networks in order to identify the dierent factors that contribute to the operational and structural degradation in selected sewerage and drainage networks in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The method used in the study involved semi-structured interviews, video camera inspection and socio-environmental field surveys (geographical survey and household survey), followed by descriptive statistics. The results revealed that many structural, environmental and behavioral practice contribute to the progressive degradation of urban sewage systems. These factors are essentially those that prevent the normal flow of wastewater in the pipes such as the illegal dumping of solid waste, the unauthorized connection of wastewater networks, unsustainable urban agricultural practices, as well as the high concentration of vegetation on both sides of the network and the dilapidated infrastructure of the wastewater and rainwater networks. It was found that these factors are at the origin of the clogging and degradation of the sewers since 85% of the residents used these sewers as a dumping ground for solid waste

Assessment of solid and liquid wastes management and health impacts along the failed sewerage systems in capital cities of African countries: case of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

The management of domestic wastewater and rainwater is a major concern for the population of Yopougon. The study presents the causes of wastewater discharge from dysfunctional sewers and their health impacts on the population. It also highlights the environmental and health risk associated with poor solid and liquid waste management. This was based on literature search, semi-participatory workshop, physicochemical and bacteriological characterization of wastewater and finally through a household survey. The field survey was conducted on 245 household heads obtained using the Canadian statistical guidelines. The results obtained indicated that all main pollution indicators were; total nitrogen (TN, 525 ± 0.02 to 3077 ± 0.3 mg/l), nitrates (NO3, 146 ± 0.01 to 1347 ± 0.12 mg/l), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD, 278 ± 195.16 to 645 ± 391.74 mg/l), chemical oxygen demand (COD, 940 ± 650.54 to 4050.5 ± 71.42 mg/l) and total dissolved solids (TDS, 151 ± 9.9 to 766 ± 237.59 mg/l) which were above the values recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Cote d'Ivoire national policy guidelines standards for the discharge of effluents into the environment. The analysis of the bacterial flora of the effluents revealed that the concentrations of Total Coliforms and fecal streptococci exceeded the values recommended by the WHO and national policy guidelines standards. This means that the populations of this area are prone to infectious diseases. Diseases such as malaria (84.53%), respiratory infections (61%), diarrhea (48.66%), intestinal diseases (44.5%), and typhoid fever (28.84%) were prevalent in the surveyed households