Citizenship, Constitutional Legitimacy and Identity in Post-Colonial African Nation-States

The dissertation investigates the institutional and attitudinal effects of postcolonial citizenship on the stability of nation states and on the popular attitudes of citizens of selected African nations. The study of how citizens are connected to and perceive the state is an important question in understanding the long-term sustainability of African democratic systems. The dissertation is organized into three distinct chapters that are tied by common theoretical and empirical questions. Each employs different methods and levels of analysis in answering fundamental political questions about African postcolonial societies. These crucial questions revolve around institutional differences between urban and rural sectors and citizens of Africa. It studies the effects of urban- rural institutional dualisms in geographic, legal and citizenship dimensions. Furthermore, this work develops various statistical models to test the cross-national differences on various issues of importance to the continent. It looks into the effect of institutional dualism on state stability, constitutionalism and national identity in postcolonial African states and societies. Statistical analyses confirm that there is strong evidence for duality between urban and rural citizens in their support of constitutions and endorsement of traditional form of authority. This duality is stronger when inter-ethnic differences are controlled. Results also confirm that there is fundamental urban-rural duality in citizens' construction of national and group identity in African states

Effect of Dates and Methods of Sowing with and without Hydropriming on Growth, Phenology and Yield of Sorghum under Semi Arid Conditions of Eritrea

A study was carried out at the research farm of Hamelmalo Agricultural College during summer 2015 to study the effect of dates and methods of sowing with and without hydro-priming on growth, development and yield of sorghum. The experiment consisted of 2 factors- three dates of sowing viz. D0 (Sowing before the onset of first summer rain, June 30), D1 (Sowing with the onset of first summer rains, July 7) and D2 (Sowing after the onset of summer rains, July 14) and three methods of sowing viz. SP (Direct sowing with hydro seed priming), TR (Transplanting) and DS (Direct sowing without hydro seed priming). The experiment was conducted in split plot design with 4 replications by keeping dates of sowing in the main plots and methods of sowing in the sub plots. The data on growth parameters, crop phenology, yield components and yield were recorded. The data were analysed using GENSTAT software and inferences were drawn by using LSD at 5% level of significance. Sowing methods significantly affected leaf area and leaf area index but sowing dates and their interaction with sowing methods did not show significant difference. Stand count, plant height, phenological parameters, thousand grain weight, grain and biomass yield were significantly affected by the sowing dates and methods but no significant difference in their interaction on all the parameters except in stand count and phenological parameters. Sowing before the onset of first summer rains (D0) resulted in significantly highest grain yield. Among the sowing methods, transplanting resulted in significantly higher grain yield seconded by direct sowing with hydro seed priming. Transplanting is less profitable and practicable as it is more laborious and difficult to apply in larger areas

Dengue fever outbreaks in Eritrea, 2005-2015: a case for strengthening surveillance, control and reporting

BACKGROUND: The geographic distribution and burden of dengue is increasing globally. This study aims to evaluate dengue outbreaks and to substantiate the need for strengthened surveillance, reporting and control in Eritrea. METHODS: Data from two cross-sectional dengue epidemic investigations in 2005 and 2010 were analyzed. Samples were tested for dengue virus-specific IgM and IgG antibodies using capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Dengue vectors' breeding attributes were characterized and epidemic risk indices determined. National routine surveillance weekly reports from 2005 to the second quarter of 2015 were analyzed for spatiotemporal trends. RESULTS: Dengue outbreaks increased in Eritrea from 2005 to 2015 with clinical presentation varying markedly among patients. The house and container indices for Aedes aegypti were 40 and 39.6 % respectively, with containers having A. aeqypti varying significantly (P < 0.04). Serum from 33.3 % (n = 15) and 88 % (n = 26) of clinical dengue cases in Aroget sub-Zoba (district) of Gash Barka Zoba (region) contained anti-DENV IgM antibody in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The national surveillance data from 2005 to 2015 indicate an overall spatiotemporal increase of dengue fever. CONCLUSIONS: The increase in dengue outbreaks has been confirmed in Eritrea and necessitates strengthening of surveillance and health worker and laboratory capacity, as well as targeted vector control interventions

Water productivity improvement of cereals and foods legumes in the Atbara Basin of Eritrea

The project ‘Water Productivity Improvement of Cereals and Food Legumes in the Atbara Basin of Eritrea’ is an example of organization and implementation of farmers’ participatory research, conducted utilizing the available indigenous knowledge while empowering farming communities. Farmers have been partners in technology development with extension and research, with full decision-making power in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The project produced, in partnership with farmers, new varieties of cereals and food legumes which have proven farmer acceptability; established seed systems which supply farmers with quality seed in a sustainable manner; enhanced farmers’ skills in participatory research and in community based seed production; strengthened the capacity of National Institutions to carry out participatory research and technology transfer, and strengthened linkages between research, seed, and extension departments by working together in cooperation with farmers and farmers’ communities. Working conditions, during the course of the project were not always easy and became challenging towards the end of the project, but to work with farmers and learn from them has been an extremely rewarding experience

Corrigendum to 'A novel multiplex qPCR assay for detection of Plasmodium falciparum with histidine-rich protein 2 and 3 (pfhrp2 and pfhrp3) deletions in polyclonal infections'.

The authors wish to correct two typographical errors in the manuscript. In the Methods (Section 5.3: Assay optimization), the concentration unit of dNTPs was wrongly written as 800 nM (nanomolar) and should be corrected to 800mM (millimolar). Furthermore, in Table S1 of the Supplementary material, the primers and probe sequences for Pfhrp3 are incorrect. They should be written: Pfhrp3_F2: 5’-ACGGATTTCATTTTAACCCTTCACGA-‘3, Pfhrp3_R2: 5’-TGAGAATCATCAAAACAAGCATTAGC-‘3 and Pfhrp3_probe: JOE’-ACAATTCCCATACTTTACATCATGCA-‘3 BHQ1. A revised Table S1 is included (below). The primers and probe sequences of Pfhrp3 in Figure 3S of the supplementary material are correct. The authors regret any confusion caused and appreciate the opportunity to correct these mistakes The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused

Self medication practice and associated factors among students of Asmara College of Health Sciences, Eritrea: a cross sectional study

Abstract Background Self-medication is a common practice globally and the resulting irrational drug use is raising concerns. Up-to-date there is no systematic study conducted on self medication practice among students or the general community in Eritrea. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-medication practice and its influencing factors among students of Asmara College of Health Science. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted from 21st May -15th June 2018. Data on self medication practice and its associated factors was collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using SPSS − 23 and explained with descriptive and inferential statistics. Results A total of 313 students responded to the questionnaire with a response rate of 93.6%. The overall prevalence of self-medication practice was 79.2%. Headache and fever were reported as the most common complaint related to self-medication practice. Among the reasons for self medication practice, prior experience was the most frequently reported. Analgesics, antipyretic and antibacterial were the leading class of medicine used in self-medication practice while adverse drug reactions were reported by 9.2% of respondents. In this study, sex, income, and school of study were found to be the independent predictors for self-medication practice. Conclusion National guideline on medicine access should be developed and strong measures should be implemented to halt the selling of medications without a proper prescription. In addition, students should be educated on the consequences of self-medication practices

Effectiveness of a 6-Month Isoniazid on Prevention of Incident Tuberculosis Among People Living with HIV in Eritrea: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction: A 6-month isoniazid as tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) for people living with HIV (PLHIV) was nationally introduced in Eritrea in 2014. However, its effectiveness in preventing tuberculosis (TB) and duration of protection was questioned by physicians. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the impact of the isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) primarily on the prevention of TB and duration of its protection in PLHIV. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted that selected all eligible PLHIV attending HIV care clinics in all national and regional referral hospitals in Eritrea. Data was collected from patients’ clinical cards using a structured data extraction sheet. The association between use of IPT and outcomes of interest was assessed using a Cox proportional hazard regression model and Kaplan–Meier curve. Results: A total of 6803 patients were selected, which accounted for 75% of all PLHIV-accessing HIV care clinics in Eritrea. About 76% of patients were exposed to IPT while the remaining 24% were unexposed. The mean follow-up time was 4.9 years (SD 1.4). The incidence rate of TB was 1.7 and 10 cases per 1000 person-years in the exposed and unexposed, respectively. The unexposed had a higher risk of incident TB (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.89, 6.13) and all-cause mortality (HR 2.41, 95% CI 1.85, 3.14) compared to the exposed. A Kaplan–Meier curve showed that the exposed group had a higher TB-free follow-up probability (98.8%) compared to the unexposed (95%) at 65 months of follow-up (p < 0.001). IPT protection decreased rapidly 6 months after isoniazid completion. Conclusion: Use of a 6-month isoniazid as TPT was found to be effective in reducing incident TB in PLHIV-accessing HIV care clinics in Eritrea. However, the protection appeared to diminish soon, namely 6 months after completion of isoniazid, which warrants immediate attention from policy makers

Prevalence of CYP2C8*2 and *3 among Eritreans and its Potential Impact on Artesunate/Amodiaquine Treatment

Background: In Eritrea, artesunate–amodiaquine is the first-line treatment against uncomplicated malaria. Amodiaquine, which is mainly bio-transformed by CYP2C8, is known to be associated with adverse events of different severity. Extrapyramidal events are among the less common but have been reported with non-negligible frequency in Eritrea. This study was conducted to investigate the allele frequencies of CYP2C8*2 and *3, both associated with decreased amodiaquine metabolism, among the Eritrean population. Methods: During September–November 2018, dried blood samples from 380 participants and 17 patients who previously had experienced extrapyramidal symptoms following treatment of artesunate–amodiaquine were collected and PCR-RFLP genotyped for CYP2C8*2 and *3. Results: The allele frequencies of CYP2C8*2 and *3 were determined as 5.9% (95% CI: 4.4– 7.8) and 4.6% (95% CI: 3.2– 6.3), respectively. Four out of the 17 patients with extrapyramidal reactions showed to be carriers of the alleles. Conclusion: CYP2C8*2 and *3 frequencies among Eritreans were found to be intermediate between the documented for Caucasian and African populations. These findings, along with the alleles not being decisive for the occurrence of extrapyramidal events, might be of importance regarding the amodiaquine-containing malaria treatment in Eritrea. Furthermore, it suggests a significant proportion of slow amodiaquine metabolizers in the Sahel region, information of potential interest in the context of amodiaquine-involving seasonal malaria chemoprevention