South-South Migration and Sino-African Small Traders: A Comparative Study of Chinese in Senegal and Africans in China

China is today also becoming an important economic migration  destination. Immigrants in China are from different continents and have settled for various reasons: study, work, business or trade. China’s  economic boom, trade liberalisation and modernisation have attracted many African migrants. The growing presence of African traders in China’s ‘city markets’ and Chinese traders in African cities change global trade and migration patterns. If large number of Africans regularly travel to China (due to better connectivity between Chinese and major African cities), some have decided to immigrate to Guangzhou and Yiwu for trade and business purposes, thus adding to the traditional migration pattern a dimension – from almost exclusively South-North to also South-South. This paper is centred on a comparative analysis of Sino-African traders in Senegal and China. The purpose of the study is to see how migration patterns have expanded from South-North to South-South (particularly in the case of Sino-African relations) that today is the mainstream of international migration. It explores the composition, background, profile, business organisation and networks of Chinese traders in Africa (Senegal) and African traders (including traders from North Africa) in China (Yiwu).Drawing on interviews, group discussion and participant observation in Yiwu, China, and Dakar, Senegal, it shows that there are increasing flows of Chinese traders in Senegal and African traders in China related to the growing relations between China and African countries during the past decades. They contribute to boosting Sino-African trade volume and are part of South-South trade and migration phenomenon. Through their trade activities, they contribute to socio-economic development in their home and host country.Keywords: South-South cooperation, trade, migration, China, Africa, small traders, trade networks, socio-economic developmen

Prevalence of and factors associated with human cysticercosis in 60 villages in three provinces of Burkina Faso

Background : Taenia solium, a zoonotic infection transmitted between humans and pigs, is considered an emerging infection in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet individual and community-level factors associated with the human infection with the larval stages (cysticercosis) are not well understood. This study aims to estimate the magnitude of association of individual-level and village-level factors with current human cysticercosis in 60 villages located in three Provinces of Burkina Faso. Methodology/Principal Findings : Baseline cross-sectional data collected between February 2011 and January 2012 from a large community randomized-control trial were used. A total of 3609 individuals provided serum samples to assess current infection with cysticercosis. The association between individual and village-level factors and the prevalence of current infection with cysticercosis was estimated using Bayesian hierarchical logistic models. Diffuse priors were used for all regression coefficients. The prevalence of current cysticercosis varied across provinces and villages ranging from 0% to 11.5%. The results obtained suggest that increased age, being male and consuming pork as well as a larger proportion of roaming pigs and percentage of sand in the soil measured at the village level were associated with higher prevalences of infection. Furthermore, consuming pork at another village market had the highest increased prevalence odds of current infection. Having access to a latrine, living in a household with higher wealth quintiles and a higher soil pH measured at the village level decreased the prevalence odds of cysticercosis. Conclusions/Significance : This is the first large-scale study to examine the association between variables measured at the individual-, household-, and village-level and the prevalence odds of cysticercosis in humans. Factors linked to people, pigs, and the environment were of importance, which further supports the need for a One Health approach to control cysticercosis infection

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis as an Innovative Approach to Managing Zoonoses: Results from a Study on Lyme Disease in Canada

ackground: Zoonoses are a growing international threat interacting at the human-animal-environment interface and call for transdisciplinary and multi-sectoral approaches in order to achieve effective disease management. The recent emergence of Lyme disease in Quebec, Canada is a good example of a complex health issue for which the public health sector must find protective interventions. Traditional preventive and control interventions can have important environmental, social and economic impacts and as a result, decision-making requires a systems approach capable of integrating these multiple aspects of interventions. This paper presents the results from a study of a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach for the management of Lyme disease in Quebec, Canada. MCDA methods allow a comparison of interventions or alternatives based on multiple criteria. Methods: MCDA models were developed to assess various prevention and control decision criteria pertinent to a comprehensive management of Lyme disease: a first model was developed for surveillance interventions and a second was developed for control interventions. Multi-criteria analyses were conducted under two epidemiological scenarios: a disease emergence scenario and an epidemic scenario. Results: In general, we observed a good level of agreement between stakeholders. For the surveillance model, the three preferred interventions were: active surveillance of vectors by flagging or dragging, active surveillance of vectors by trapping of small rodents and passive surveillance of vectors of human origin. For the control interventions model, basic preventive communications, human vaccination and small scale landscaping were the three preferred interventions. Scenarios were found to only have a small effect on the group ranking of interventions in the control model. Conclusions: MCDA was used to structure key decision criteria and capture the complexity of Lyme disease management. This facilitated the identification of gaps in the scientific literature and enabled a clear identification of complementary interventions that could be used to improve the relevance and acceptability of proposed prevention and control strategy. Overall, MCDA presents itself as an interesting systematic approach for public health planning and zoonoses management with a “One Health” perspective

Pauvreté et distribution de revenus au Sénégal: une approche par la modélisation en équilibre général calculable micro-simulé

La nouvelle orientation de la politique économique au Sénégal vise à accroître les revenus des pauvres et à attaquer la pauvreté là où elle est principalement localisée. La stratégie de réduction de la pauvreté va être mise en oeuvre dans un contexte de libéralisation des échanges commerciaux internationaux notamment dans le secteur agricole. Dans ce contexte, nous avons développé un modèle d'équilibre général calculable micro-simulé multi-ménages du type Decaluwé et al. (1999) permettant d'évaluer l'impact que pourront avoir ces politiques agricoles à l'échelle des ménages et de faire le lien entre ces réformes économiques, la pauvreté et la distribution de revenu. Ce modèle offre beaucoup de flexibilité en permettant notamment de modifier la distribution des groupes cibles qui n'ont pas à être revenus avant l'exercice de simulation afin d'effectuer l'analyse de pauvreté et d'inégalité ex post à l'exercice de modélisation. Dans ce travail, nous avons également comparé les effets en terme d'analyse de pauvreté et d'inégalité entre une distribution paramétrique (Dagum, 3 paramètres) et une distribution non-paramétrique et montré que ce choix engendrait des différences significatives quant aux effets sur la pauvreté. Contrairement aux applications faite par Decaluwé et al. (1999) et Cockburn (2002) au Népal, les impacts sur la pauvreté sont assez importants, ce qui montre que cette approche offre un outil riche permettant d'évaluer l'impact de politiques économiques ou chocs externes sur la pauvreté et la distribution de revenu.Modèle d'équilibre général calculable, micro-simulation, analyse de pauvreté, distribution de revenu

Prevalence of COVID-19 at the Wahgnion-Gold mining site in Burkina Faso and use of RT-PCR initial cycle threshold to monitor the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 load

Background: To control the spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is necessary to adequately identify and isolate infectious patients particularly at the work place. Real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay is the recommended confirmatory method for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of SARSCoV-2 infection in Burkina Faso and to use the initial cycle threshold (Ct) values of RT-PCR as a tool to monitor the dynamics of the viral load. Methodology: Between September 2021 and February 2022, oropharyngeal and/or nasopharyngeal swab samples of consecutively selected COVID-19 symptomatic and apparently healthy workers from the Wahgnion mining site in the South-western Burkina Faso who consented to the study were collected according to the two weeks shift program and tested for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-PCR assay. Patients positive for the virus were followed-up weekly until tests were negative. Association of the initial RT-PCR Ct values with disease duration was assessed by adjusted linear regression approach. Two-sided p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 1506 (92.9% males) participants were recruited into the study, with mean age and age range of 37.1±8.7 and 18-68 years respectively. The overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 14.3% (216/1506). Of the 82 patients included in the follow-up study, the longest duration of positive RT-PCR test, from the first positive to the first of the two negative RT-PCR tests, was 33 days (mean 11.6 days, median 10 days, interquartile range 8-14 days). The initial Ct values significantly correlated with the duration of RT-PCR positivity (with β=-0.54, standard error=0.09 for N gene, and β=-0.44, standard error=0.09 for ORF1ab gene, p<0.001). Participants with higher Ct values corresponding to lower viral loads had shorter viral clearance time than those of lower Ct values or higher viral loads. Conclusion: Approximately 1 out of 7 tested miners had SARS-CoV-2 infection and the duration of their RT-PCR tests positivity independently correlated with the initial viral load measured by initial Ct values. As participants with lower initial Ct values tended to have longer disease duration, initial RT-PCR Ct values could be used to guide COVID-19 patient quarantine duration particularly at the work place

Contrôle de qualité des médicaments antipaludiques au Mali

Les molécules antipaludiques rencontrées et prélevées dans les différentes régions du Mali et du district de Bamako, ont été analysées au Laboratoire National de la Santé. Les échantillons analysés provenaient d’Afrique, d’Europe, d’Asie et d’Amérique. L’échantillonnage a concerné 303 échantillons analysés, dont 260 étaient conformes, soit un taux de 85,8% et 43 étaient non conformes, soit 14,2%. Les non conformités décelées provenaient toutes des formes comprimés et injectables et concernaient spécifiquement les molécules de quinine. Les non-conformités décelées étaient de 03 types : l’absence de principe actif indiqué, le surdosage et le sous-dosage. Suivant le circuit de prélèvement dans la chaîne de distribution, les nonconformités ont été décelées en majorité dans les hôpitaux et les Centres de santé (40 échantillons) et secondairement au niveau des dépôts de vente privés (03 échantillons)

Abcès de la prostate de découverte fortuite : A propos de deux cas

Introduction : l’abcès prostatique est une pathologie de plus en plus rare. Sa symptomatologie n’est pas spécifique. L’échographie endorectale et le scanner pelvien occupent une place de choix dans le diagnostic. Le traitement repose sur l’antibiothérapie adaptée et sur le drainage percutané par voie transpérinéale, transrectale ou endoscopique. Observation : nous rapportons deux cas d’abcès de prostate, l’un des patients est âgé de 47 ans et l’autre 61 ans. Dans les deux cas, le diagnostic a été de découverte fortuite en per opératoire. Le scanner abdominopelvien a posé le diagnostic de kyste de prostate chez l’un et une hypertrophie bénigne de la prostate chez l’autre par une échographie réno-vésico-prostatique. Le traitement a consisté en un drainage par chirurgie ouverte avec une antibiothérapie adaptée. L’évolution a été favorable dans les deux cas. Conclusion : l’abcès prostatique est une pathologie rare et sa symptomatologie clinique n’est pas spécifique. Dans notre cas, le diagnostic n’a pu être confirmé qu’en peropératoire et le traitement par chirurgie ouverte avec un bon résultat