Ebola and public authority: saving loved ones in Sierra Leone

It is unclear how public authorities shaped responses to Ebola in Sierra Leone. Focusing on one village, we analyze what happened when “staff, stuff, space, and systems” were absent. Mutuality between neighbors, linked to secret societies, necessitated collective care for infected loved ones, irrespective of the risks. Practical learning was quick. Numbers recovering were reported to be higher among people treated in hidden locations, compared to those taken to Ebola Treatment Centres. Our findings challenge positive post-Ebola narratives about international aid and military deployment. A morally appropriate people’s science emerged under the radar of external scrutiny, including that of a paramount chief

The use of condoms and other birth control methods among sexually active school-going adolescents in nine sub-Saharan African countries

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2022-07-29, collection 2022-12, registration 2022-12-12, accepted 2022-12-12, pub-electronic 2022-12-16, online 2022-12-16Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements: We want to thank the high school students who participated in the GSHS nine countries. This paper uses data from the Global School Health survey. GSHS is supported by the World Health Organization and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.Publication status: PublishedAbdulai Jawo Bah - ORCID: 0000-0002-3334-7882 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3334-7882Background: Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa still face sexual and reproductive health challenges. Contraceptives have been used to address these challenges. Despite efforts at national and global levels, contraceptive uptake among young people in Africa remains a challenge due to personal, societal, and health systems-based barriers. We estimated the prevalence and correlates of condom use and other birth control methods among sexually active school-going adolescents in nine sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Global School-based Student Health Surveys (GSHS) datasets pooled from nine SSA countries. We included a sample of 27,504 school-going adolescents 11 years and younger and 18 years and older. We employed meta-analysis using a random-effects model to estimate the total prevalence of the use of condoms, other birth control methods other than a condom and any birth control method at last sexual intercourse. We conducted complex sample descriptive and logistic regression analyses to determine the characteristics and determinants of not using condoms and other birth control methods among sexually active school-going adolescents in nine sub-Saharan African countries, respectively. Results: More than half [n = 4430, 53.8% (43.9–63.8)], two-fifth [n = 3242, 39.5% (33.2–45.9) and two-thirds of adolescents [n = 4838, 65.6% (57.5–73.7)] of sexually active in school adolescents across the nine sub-Saharan African countries used condom, other birth control methods and any form birth control method during their last sexual intercourse, respectively. The non-use of condoms at last sex was associated with being younger (less than 16 years) [AOR = 1.48;95%CI: 1.12–1.94], early sexual debut [AOR = 1.81(1.47–2.22)], having two or more sexual partners [AOR = 1.30(1.06–1.58)] and no/minimal parental support [AOR = 1.54(1.17–2.03)]. The non-use of other birth control methods at last sex was associated with being male [AOR = 1.37 (1.09–1.73)], early sexual debut [AOR = 1.83(1.48–2.27) and having no parental support [AOR = 1.64(1.34–2.00)]. Conclusion: Contraceptive need among sexually active school adolescents in the nine sub-Saharan African countries is high. Such a need calls for the development of country-specific and or the review of existing school-based sexual health education and youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health interventions that target risky adolescents and promote adolescent-parent effective communication, connectedness and support.pubpu

Negotiating Intersecting Precarities: COVID-19, Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa.

This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of "intersecting precarities" best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods

Teenage Pregnant Girls and the Rate of Antenatal Clinic (ANC) Attendance in Bo Town, Sierra Leone

Teenage pregnancy is one of the serious Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) issues in developing countries including Sierra Leone. It is believed that teenage pregnancy in Sierra Leonean communities is becoming a public health problem because it is presently contributing to a lot of health-related issues including maternal and child mortalities, serious maternal complications (e.g. fistulae) among others. This study was a cross-sectional retrospective record review of antenatal registers from January to December 2016 at three functional community health centres in Bo town. These include the Teaching Health Centre at the Korwama location of the Bo Campus- Njala University, the Yemoh Town Community Health Centre and the Police Community Health Centre at the Eastern Police Barracks.It involved the identification of all teenage pregnant girls attending the ANC for the first time, from antennal registers. A total number of 100 teenage pregnant girls were identified in the ANC registers from the three PHUs, focusing on the ages and the gestational periods at the first ANC visit. The study found out that close to 50% of the pregnant teenagers made their first visit at the gestational period very close to the third trimester of the pregnancy. It was also found that 5% of these teenage girls only attended one ANC clinic in the whole pregnant period. In addition, more than 50% of the teenage pregnancies were between the ages of 17 and 18 years. The study also detected that 11% of the victims are pregnant for the second or third time.From this study, is apparent that teenage pregnant girls delay their first visit to the ANC. As such, risks related to the pregnancies will be either detected very late or not detected at all.