Livestock, livelihoods and vulnerability in Lesotho, Malawi and Zambia: designing livestock interventions for emergency situations

This study assesses the contributions of livestock to risk management and coping strategies and to identify livestock-centred interventions that can be used to save lives and livelihoods in crisis and emergency situations in selected countries of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). The specific objectives are to analyse the roles of livestock in household livelihood strategies; to examine different sources of risks and household risk management and coping strategies, paying particular attention to livestock-based strategies; to identify emergency response interventions including targeted livestock interventions for reducing food insecurity and vulnerability; and to provide a framework for identifying guiding principles for linking livelihood analysis, project and program design, and implementation in emergency situations. The countries covered in this study are Lesotho, Malawi and Zambia. The ratio of vulnerability to food insecurity appears to be growing in all of these countries with vulnerable households facing dwindling food stocks and rising prices of staple food at the time of the study (UN-RIACSO 2005)

Designing livestock interventions for emergency situations in Southern Africa

This brief is a review of the research conducted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partners in Lesotho, Malawi and Zambia aimed to assess the contribution of livestock to livelihoods and its role in risk management. The objective of the study was to identify the livelihood assets and strategies of households, taking into account differences between men and women and the contexts that translate household capabilities into livelihood opportunities. The study suggests that there are marked differences in ownership of productive assets, in livelihood strategies and in vulnerability between men and women. The results of the study showed that households in southern Africa are exposed to a variety of shocks with cumulative impacts that can trigger an emergency. The main factors contributing to vulnerability to food insecurity include drought, widespread crop failure, animal diseases and declining access to livestock service delivery. These factors affect all households in a community but in different ways

Malawi stories: mapping an art-science collaborative process

This paper outlines a project drawing together an artist working on creative GIS, a geomatics scholar, an NGO leader, a rural geographer and soil scientist, an environmental geochemist, and a political geographer. With a shared interest in the social and physical processes affecting people’s lives in Malawi, and the possibilities for interdisciplinary collaboration, the team engaged in practice-based mapping of our data sources and respective methodologies. The project relates to two sites in Malawi: Tikondwe Freedom Gardens and the Likangala River. The paper details our practices as we shared, debated, and repurposed our data as a means of situating these practices and data. Using paper and pen, whiteboard, PowerPoint, and web-design software, we note here our effort to map a ‘space of experimentation’ highlighting, and reflecting on, our diverse disciplinary orientations, training, instrumentation, recording, and reporting procedures, as well as bodily practices that enable and give animation to these factors

Factors Contributing to Late Physiotherapy Intervention of Children with Cerebral Palsy at The University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka in Zambia

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is the leading cause of disability worldwide and Zambia has its fair share of cases. Most parents/caregivers of children with Cerebral palsy at University Teaching Hospital started attending physiotherapy late when their children were over one year Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of mothers towards factors contributing to late physiotherapy intervention of children with Cerebral palsy at University Teaching Hospital. Furthermore, assess the knowledge of mothers with children between 0-5 years on the role of physiotherapy in Cerebral palsy. Methodology: An exploratory study design using qualitative methods was used. Data collection techniques were FGDs that consisted of purposively sampling of 10 mothers of children with CP attending physiotherapy at University Teaching Hospital. Audio-recording from the FGDs was transcribed verbatim for each session by an independent person. The study employed thematic analysis for data analysis. The data was classified systematically by means of coding to identify key factors or issues such as concepts, categories, themes and the relationship between them. Results: This study identified four themes on factors that influence late physiotherapy intervention of children with Cerebral Palsy at University Teaching Hospital. These included: Socio-economic support; late referral for Physiotherapy; Caregiver's knowledge about Cerebral Palsy; and People's attitude towards Cerebral Palsy. Limited caregiver knowledge about the role of physiotherapy in Cerebral Palsy was reported to be due to; limited community awareness about physiotherapy; and lack of caregiver education. Conclusion: The present study sought to explore the perceptions of mothers towards factors contributing to late physiotherapy intervention in children with Cerebral Palsy. A diversity of factors that led to delayed intervention was highlighted. Rehabilitation professionals should be aware of the factors that impact mothers both positively and negatively in order to implement effective rehabilitation programs

Research activities to improve the utilization of antibiotics in Africa

There is a need to improve the rational use of antibiotics across continents including Africa. This has resulted in initiatives in Botswana including treatment guidelines and the instigation of Antibiotic Stewardship Programs (ASPs). The next steps involve a greater understanding of current antibiotic utilization and resistance patterns (AMR). This resulted in a 2-day meeting involving key stakeholders principally from Botswana to discuss key issues including AMR rates as well as ASPs in both the public and private sectors. Following this, the findings will be used to plan future studies across Africa including point prevalence studies. The findings will be presented in July 2016 at the next Medicines Utilization Research in Africa meeting will ideally serve as a basis for planning future pertinent interventional studies to enhance the rational use of antibiotics in Botswana and wider

Diminished health and social outcomes among men who have sex with men who use drugs in Zimbabwe

No abstract available

Conducting research among key populations in settings with discriminatory laws, policies, and practice : the case of men who have sex with men in Zimbabwe

No abstract available.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/public-health-in-practicehj2023School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

The role of biochar properties in influencing the sorption and desorption of Pb(II), Cd(II) and As(III) in aqueous solution

The chemical and physical properties of 20 biochars produced at 350, 450, 550 and 650 °C were investigated to determine the key roles they play in the sorption and desorption of three potentially toxic elements (Pb, Cd, As). Biochar surfaces were studied using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Organic functional groups (e.g. single bondCOOH, Cdouble bond; length as m-dashO, Csingle bondX), inorganic minerals (CaCO3, SiO2, Ca2Si5O10·3H2O) and cations (K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) controlled PTE sorption significantly while physical properties (morphology, surface area) showed little influence on the sorption of potentially toxic elements. Four major mechanisms accounted for the exceptionally high Pb(II) sorption by all 20 biochars (97.5–99.8%) while Cd(II) and As(III) sorption (<90% and 42% respectively) were controlled by two mechanisms (precipitation and electrostatic attraction) only. Thermodynamic studies suggested that Pb and Cd sorption on a majority of biochars was spontaneous and endothermic while As sorption was also endothermic but not spontaneous. Sorbed PTEs were observed to be very stable over a wide range of pH values (3.5–9.5) with desorption ranging from 0.2 - 16.5%. Detailed understanding of how biochar surface properties interact with PTEs increases the possibility of developing cost effective and engineered biochars with exceptional sorption characteristics

Comprehensive investigation of sources of misclassification errors in routine HIV testing in Zimbabwe.

INTRODUCTION: Misclassification errors have been reported in rapid diagnostic HIV tests (RDTs) in sub-Saharan African countries. These errors can lead to missed opportunities for prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT), early infant diagnosis and adult HIV-prevention, unnecessary lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART) and wasted resources. Few national estimates or systematic quantifications of sources of errors have been produced. We conducted a comprehensive assessment of possible sources of misclassification errors in routine HIV testing in Zimbabwe. METHODS: RDT-based HIV test results were extracted from routine PMTCT programme records at 62 sites during national antenatal HIV surveillance in 2017. Positive- (PPA) and negative-percent agreement (NPA) for HIV RDT results and the false-HIV-positivity rate for people with previous HIV-positive results ("known-positives") were calculated using results from external quality assurance testing done for HIV surveillance purposes. Data on indicators of quality management systems, RDT kit performance under local climatic conditions and user/clerical errors were collected using HIV surveillance forms, data-loggers and a Smartphone camera application (7 sites). Proportions of cases with errors were compared for tests done in the presence/absence of potential sources of errors. RESULTS: NPA was 99.9% for both pregnant women (N = 17224) and male partners (N = 2173). PPA was 90.0% (N = 1187) and 93.4% (N = 136) for women and men respectively. 3.5% (N = 1921) of known-positive individuals on ART were HIV negative. Humidity and temperature exceeding manufacturers' recommendations, particularly in storerooms (88.6% and 97.3% respectively), and premature readings of RDT output (56.0%) were common. False-HIV-negative cases, including interpretation errors, occurred despite staff training and good algorithm compliance, and were not reduced by existing external or internal quality assurance procedures. PPA was lower when testing room humidity exceeded 60% (88.0% vs. 93.3%; p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: False-HIV-negative results were still common in Zimbabwe in 2017 and could be reduced with HIV testing algorithms that use RDTs with higher sensitivity under real-world conditions and greater practicality under busy clinic conditions, and by strengthening proficiency testing procedures in external quality assurance systems. New false-HIV-positive RDT results were infrequent but earlier errors in testing may have resulted in large numbers of uninfected individuals being on ART