Asymptomatic Carriage of Plasmodium in Urban Dakar: The Risk of Malaria Should Not Be Underestimated

Introduction: The objective of this study was to measure the rate of asymptomatic carriage of plasmodium in the Dakar region two years after the implementation of new strategies in clinical malaria management. Methodology: Between October and December 2008, 2952 households selected in 50 sites of Dakar area, were visited for interviews and blood sampling. Giemsa-stained thick blood smears (TBS) were performed for microscopy in asymptomatic adult women and children aged 2 to 10 years. To ensure the quality of the microscopy, we performed a polymerase chai

Does climate opportunity facilitate smallholder farmers' adaptive capacity in the Sahel?

International audienceIn Africa, adaptation will be crucial to offset expected negative climate change impacts on food security and agriculture development. In this study, we combine meteorological data from 18 local stations, field surveys on agricultural practices and agronomic information on the growth of millet to demonstrate the crop suitability to the present climate and the ability of Senegalese farmers to adapt their practices to climate variability, and to disseminate them. From data collected in both 665 villages and 1061 farmers, our study provides quantitative evidence of the responsive adaptation of farmers in the Sahel where the recent resumption of rainfall has provided new agricultural opportunities. Statistical models and cropping simulations show that these farmers innovate by reintroducing and disseminating a long cycle millet cultivar-more suitable for wet environments. We note that although this adaptation is a clear response to recent changes in quantity and distribution of rainfall, its adoption remains limited (50% of the villages visited and 25% of the surveyed agricultural producers have cultivated the new millet variety) and varies strongly within the same climatic context and by characteristics of farmers (willing and capacity), indicating different agricultural strategies (diversification, market exchanges). If land access and development of cash crops are hindrances to the adoption of sanio, poverty is clearly not a barrier and adaptation is not a lever for wealth creation. Such adaptative capacities, together with government incentives for farmers to sustainably adapt to climate change, can be important in reducing climate risks in the coming years

Mapping Malaria Risk in Dakar, Senegal

International audienceIndependent entomological variables and human socio-economic characteristics can influence the risk of malaria infection in urban areas, yet the imbalanced spatial distribution of infection remains in question. There is often a lack of simultaneous consideration of the factors responsible for the transmission of parasites. This work examines interactions between the entomological profile of urban places and their socio-economical characterization through the implementation of a geographic information system (GIS) database

Mesure de l’accessibilité géographique aux structures de santé dans l’agglomération de Dakar

Urban environments are generally more equipped in healthcare services than rural areas. However, the spatial distribution of the latter is often uneven there. We propose to measure the socio-spatial disparities of geographical accessibility to health services in Dakar’s agglomeration, using two stages floating catchment areas improved method and the local indicators of spatial association. The data used comes from the general census of the population and housing in 2002 and of georeferencement of health structures in 2007. The results show strong spatial disparities in accessibility, a local spatial association between the accessibility and the level of life, indicating a contrast between the east, where there is a double handicap related to the low level of accessibility and low standard of living, and the west, where the reverse phenomenon is observed. Beyond this opposition, there are also pockets of local heterogeneity reminiscent of the complexity of Dakar’s area

Retour sur une expérience d'échantillonnage spatial. : Choix de lieux d'enquête dans l'agglomération dakaroise

International audienc

Motivations and barriers to death registration in Dakar, Senegal

Strengthening civil registration systems requires a better understanding of motivations and barriers related to the registration of deaths. We used data from the 2013 Senegalese census to identify deaths that are more likely to be registered in the Dakar region, where the completeness of death registration is higher than 80%. We also interviewed relatives of the deceased whose death had been registered to collect data on reasons for registration and sources of information about the process. The likelihood of death registration was positively associated with age at death and household wealth. Death registration was also more likely in households whose head was older, had attended school, and had a birth certificate. At the borough commune level, the geographical accessibility of civil registration centres and population density were both positively associated with completeness of death registration. The main motivations for registering deaths were compliance with the legal obligation to do so and willingness to obtain a burial permit and a death certificate. Families, health facilities, and friends were the primary sources of information about death registration. Further research is needed to identify effective interventions to increase death registration completeness in Dakar, particularly amongst the poorest households and neighbourhoods on the outskirts of the city

Qualifier les espaces urbains à Dakar, Sénégal : résultats préliminaires de l'approche croisée entre télédétection et données censitaires spatialisées

International audienceStudies on urban spaces require detailed information with a high quality. This has a cost that limits its availability in the less developed countries and makes researchers dependent on existing resources. Whatever the considered problem, the question of sources is essential. With the development and democratization of GIS and satellite imagery, a large number of information from increasingly diversified sources becomes available. The civilian satellites to Earth observation flying over the planet for the years 1960-70, enable the detection and mapping of different ecosystems. In this study, we plan to explore the Dakar metropolitan area. Big African metropolis Dakar has a good-quality census coverage, which has recently been spatialized. We also have recent satellite images complementing this equipment. If a study on the crossing of census data with satellite information is not a very original approach, its application to the metropolitan Dakar will investigate specifically the sub-space urban areas of the city. Interest will therefore to establish links between social attributes (by census data), landscapes in these areas, and their occupation of the land (environmental variables extracted from satellite imagery). These preliminary results, presented here, will be the cornerstone of a study of urban malaria, which questions the interactions between the space of the vector, Anopheles, and that of the host, the human being. However, the spatial distribution of the vector is closely related to socio-economic attributes of populations. In other words, we wish initially to assess the relevance of these two sources in order to approach the wealth inequalities of the population of Dakar. This concept is defined synthetically by the lack of material resources of the inhabitants, which places them in a precarious and unstable situation when they are subjected to an external threat (eg floods, diseases, ...) This work will also inform the geography of the city of Dakar, at a fine scale or even very fine.Les études menées sur les espaces urbains nécessitent une information fine et de bonne qualité. Celle-ci a un coût qui limite sa disponibilité dans les pays les moins développés et rend les chercheurs dépendants des ressources existantes. Quelle que soit la problématique envisagée, la question des sources apparaît donc primordiale. Avec le développement et la démocratisation des SIG et de l'imagerie satellite, un nombre important d'informations, issues de sources de plus en plus diversifiées, devient disponible. Les satellites civils d'observation de la terre qui survolent la planète depuis les années 1960-70, permettent la détection et la cartographie des différents écosystèmes. Dans cette étude, nous envisageons d'explorer l'hétérogénéité socio-spatiale de l'agglomération dakaroise. Grande métropole africaine, Dakar possède une couverture censitaire de bonne qualité, qui a été récemment spatialisée. Nous disposons en outre d'images satellite récentes qui viennent compléter cet appareillage. Même si des études ayant exploré le croisement de données censitaires avec de l'information satellitaire existent déjà, l'application de cette méthode à l'agglomération Dakaroise permet d'étudier précisément les sous-espaces urbains de la ville. L'intérêt est d'établir des liens entre les attributs sociaux (par les données censitaires) des paysages de ces sous-espaces, et leur occupation du sol (par les variables environnementales extraites de l'imagerie satellite). Ces résultats préliminaires, présentés ici, sont la pierre angulaire d'une étude sur le paludisme urbain qui interroge les interactions entre l'espace du vecteur, l'anophèle, et celui de l'hôte, l'être humain. Or, la distribution spatiale du vecteur est étroitement liée aux attributs socio-économiques des populations. Autrement dit, cet article sert dans un premier temps à évaluer la pertinence de ces deux sources pour approcher les inégalités de richesse de la population dakaroise. Ce concept se définit synthétiquement ici par le manque de ressources matérielles des habitants, ce qui les place dans une situation précaire et instable lorsqu'ils sont soumis à une menace extérieure (exemple fréquent à Dakar : inondations, maladies,...) Ce travail permet par ailleurs d'éclairer sous un nouveau jour la géographie de l'agglomération de Dakar, à une échelle fine, voire très fine

Use of health care among febrile children from urban poor households in Senegal: does the neighbourhood have an impact?

Urban malaria is considered a major public health problem in Africa. Themalaria vector is well adapted in urban settings and autochthonous malaria hasincreased. Antimalarial treatments prescribed presumptively or after rapiddiagnostic tests are also highly used in urban settings. Furthermore, healthcare strategies for urban malaria must comply with heterogeneous neighbourhoodecosystems where health-related risks and opportunities are spatiallyvaried. This article aims to assess the capacity of the urban living environment tomitigate or increase individual or household vulnerabilities that influence theuse of health services. The data are drawn from a survey on urban malariaconducted between 2008 and 2009. The study sample was selected using a twostagerandomized sampling. The questionnaire survey covered 2952 householdsthat reported a case of fever episode in children below 10 years during themonth before the survey.Self-medication is a widespread practice for children, particularly among thepoorest households in Dakar. For rich households, self-medication for children ismore a transitional practice enabling families to avoid opportunity costs related tovisits to health facilities. For the poorest, it is a forced choice and often the onlytreatment option. However, the poor that live in well-equipped neighbourhoodsinhabited by wealthy residents tend to behave as their rich neighbours. They graspthe opportunities provided by the area and adjust their behaviours accordingly.Though health care for children is strongly influenced by household socio-economiccharacteristics, neighbourhood resources (facilities and social networks) willpromote health care among the poorest and reduce access inequalities. Withoutbeing a key factor, the neighbourhood of residence—when it provides resources—may be of some help to overcome the financial hurdle. Findings suggest that theneighbourhood (local setting) is a relevant scale for health programmes in Africancities

Use of health care among febrile children from urban poor households in Senegal: does the neighbourhood have an impact?

Urban malaria is considered a major public health problem in Africa. Themalaria vector is well adapted in urban settings and autochthonous malaria hasincreased. Antimalarial treatments prescribed presumptively or after rapiddiagnostic tests are also highly used in urban settings. Furthermore, healthcare strategies for urban malaria must comply with heterogeneous neighbourhoodecosystems where health-related risks and opportunities are spatiallyvaried. This article aims to assess the capacity of the urban living environment tomitigate or increase individual or household vulnerabilities that influence theuse of health services. The data are drawn from a survey on urban malariaconducted between 2008 and 2009. The study sample was selected using a twostagerandomized sampling. The questionnaire survey covered 2952 householdsthat reported a case of fever episode in children below 10 years during themonth before the survey.Self-medication is a widespread practice for children, particularly among thepoorest households in Dakar. For rich households, self-medication for children ismore a transitional practice enabling families to avoid opportunity costs related tovisits to health facilities. For the poorest, it is a forced choice and often the onlytreatment option. However, the poor that live in well-equipped neighbourhoodsinhabited by wealthy residents tend to behave as their rich neighbours. They graspthe opportunities provided by the area and adjust their behaviours accordingly.Though health care for children is strongly influenced by household socio-economiccharacteristics, neighbourhood resources (facilities and social networks) willpromote health care among the poorest and reduce access inequalities. Withoutbeing a key factor, the neighbourhood of residence—when it provides resources—may be of some help to overcome the financial hurdle. Findings suggest that theneighbourhood (local setting) is a relevant scale for health programmes in Africancities