Recours À L’avortement Provoqué Chez Les Femmes En Union Des Quartiers Précaires De Yopougon À Abidjan

In Côte d’Ivoire, 15 % of maternal deaths are related to illegal abortions. Despite the known consequences, abortion practice is increasing more and more in a restrictive legislative context. Few formal studies and national statistics on the phenomenon exist, much less at the level of precarious slums of Abidjan. This article is a contribution to the understanding of abortion practice in the unprivileged urban context of Yopougon in Abidjan. It aims to analyze the logics and conditions of abortion in the precarious slums of Yopougon. A survey of a sample of 309 women aged 15 to 49 years, living in union in six precarious slums and, an investigation in three public health facilities and five private clinics and among traditional healers were conducted. Results indicate an overall prevalence of 11%. Women who aborted are generally young (85.3%), with no education (35.30%) or primary level of education (32.35%). Proportion of women who aborted increase with parity up to three children and decreases from the fourth child. The lack of financial resources (79.41%) and the fear and stigma (47.05%) are the main reasons of abortion. The majority of abortions took place in private clinics (58.82%)

Production Et Consommation Du Tchapalo À Abidjan : Typologie Des Brasseuses Et Des Consommateurs

The tchapalo, traditional Ivorian beer, formerly produced in northern Côte d'Ivoire, has overflowed the geographical limits of its production. Its consumption is becoming more momentum in Abidjan. For a better knowledge of actors and a valorization of this beverage, this work was conducted through a survey of 385 brewers and 77 tchapalo consumers selected in 3 areas of Abidjan. Results showed that tchapalo is produced exclusively by Burkinabe women (45.5%) and the Ivorian women came from northern part of Côte d'Ivoire (53.2%), mainly women of the Lobi ethnic group (90.2%). Tchapalo production was a significant source of income for these women. The biggest consumers of tchapalo came from the Akan ethnic group which represented 52.5% of respondents. Because of its financial accessibility (300 CFA francs per liter), tchapalo is consumed by all socio-economic and professional groups, particularly foremen (41%) and laborers (31.7%). Consumers who found therapeutic principles to the tchapalo represented 54.3% of respondents. Furthermore, over 95% of respondents preferred to consume into tchapalo production area to meet friends and also to maintain fraternity links with brewers. However, 25.7% of consumers chose to consume in a specific tchapalo production area for the taste of the beverage and 25.5% due to welcome that their reserves the producer. Favorite consumption moments were afternoons and evenings

Field experiments of Anopheles gambiae attraction to local fruits/seedpods and flowering plants in Mali to optimize strategies for malaria vector control in Africa using attractive toxic sugar bait methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Based on recent studies in Israel demonstrating that attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) methods can be used to decimate local anopheline and culicine mosquito populations, an important consideration is whether the same methods can be adapted and improved to attract and kill malaria vectors in Africa. The ATSB approach uses fruit or flower scent as an attractant, sugar solution as a feeding stimulant, and an oral toxin. The ATSB solutions are either sprayed on vegetation or suspended in simple bait stations, and the mosquitoes ingesting the toxic solutions are killed. As such, this approach targets sugar-feeding female and male mosquitoes. This study examines the attractiveness of African malaria vectors to local fruits/seedpods and flowering plants, key biological elements of the ATSB approach for mosquito control.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Three field experiments were conducted at sites in Mali. The attraction of <it>Anopheles gambiae </it>s.l. to 26 different local fruits and seedpods was determined at a site in the semi-arid Bandiagara District of Mali. Wire mesh glue traps with fruits/seedpods suspended on skewers inside were set along a seasonal lagoon. Seven replicates of each fruit/seedpod species were tested, with a water-soaked sponge and a sugar-soaked sponge as controls. The attraction of <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. to 26 different types of flowering plants was determined at a site near Mopti in Mali. The flowering plants held in a water-filled buried container were tested using the same glue traps, with controls including water only and sugar solution. Six replicates of each selected plant type were tested on transects between rice paddies. Additional studies using CDC light traps were done to determine the relative densities and periodicity of <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. attraction to branches of the most highly attractive flowering plant, branches without flowers, human odor, and candescent light.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 26 fruits and seedpods tested, 6 were attractive to <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. females and males, respectively. Guava (<it>Psidium guajava</it>) and honey melon (<it>Cucumis melo</it>) were the two most attractive fruits for both females and males. Of the 26 flowering plants tested, 9 were significantly attractive for females, and 8 were attractive for males. <it>Acacia macrostachya </it>was the most attractive flowering plant. Periodicity studies using this plant showed peaks of <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. attraction between 1930 and 2200 h and 0400-0500 h, which differed considerably from the response to human odors, which expectedly peaked at around midnight.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These field experiments in Mali highlight that female and male <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. have pronounced differences in attraction for diverse types of indigenous fruits/seedpods and flowering plants. The identification of attractive fruits and seedpods shows that a variety of indigenous and locally abundant natural products could potentially be used as juices to make ATSB solution for mosquito control. As well, the simple methods used to identify the most attractive flowering plants provide valuable insights into the natural history of sugar feeding for <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. These observations can be used to guide future strategies for employing ATSB methods for malaria vector control in Africa. They also provide a basis for subsequent chemical analysis and development of attractive baits for mosquito control.</p

Une Infestation a Bilharziose Medullaire Mimant une Tumeur

Un adolescent T.A âgé de 12 ans a présenté un déficit moteur des membres inférieurs d’installation progressive sur deux semaines, associé à des troubles génito-sphinctériens. A noter qu’il s’était baigné à plusieurs reprises en eau douce, suivie d’une hématurie en 2019. A l’examen, il présentait un syndrome de compression médullaire lent avec un niveau sensitif à T8. L’IRM médullaire dorsale montrait deux infiltrations médullaires en regard des vertèbres T8 à T7 et de T5 à T2 simulant une tumeur. La sérologie bilharzienne était positive (titre =320 UI/L). La coprologie parasitaire a mis en évidence la présence d’œufs de Schistosoma mansoni. Nous avons obtenu une récupération de la motricité au bout d’un délai de 6 mois, après traitement. &nbsp; A 12-year-old T.A adolescent presented with a motor deficit of the lower limbs that gradually developed over two weeks, associated with genito-sphincter disorders. Note that he had bathed several times in fresh water, followed by hematuria in 2019. On examination, he presented with slow spinal cord compression syndrome with a sensory level at T8. The dorsal spinal cord MRI showed two spinal cord infiltrations next to the vertebrae T 8 to T7 and T5 to T2 simulating a tumor. Bilharzial serology was positive (titer = 320 IU/L). Parasitic coprology revealed the presence of Schistosoma mansoni eggs. We obtained recovery of motor skills after a period of 6 months, after treatment

Unexpected Rift Valley Fever Outbreak, Northern Mauritania

During September–October 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of Rift Valley fever was reported in the northern Sahelian region of Mauritania after exceptionally heavy rainfall. Camels probably played a central role in the local amplification of the virus. We describe the main clinical signs (hemorrhagic fever, icterus, and nervous symptoms) observed during the outbreak

Successful field trial of attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) plant-spraying methods against malaria vectors in the Anopheles gambiae complex in Mali, West Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Based on highly successful demonstrations in Israel that attractive toxic sugar bait (ATSB) methods can decimate local populations of mosquitoes, this study determined the effectiveness of ATSB methods for malaria vector control in the semi-arid Bandiagara District of Mali, West Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Control and treatment sites, selected along a road that connects villages, contained man-made ponds that were the primary larval habitats of <it>Anopheles gambiae </it>and <it>Anopheles arabiensis</it>. Guava and honey melons, two local fruits shown to be attractive to <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l., were used to prepare solutions of Attractive Sugar Bait (ASB) and ATSB that additionally contained boric acid as an oral insecticide. Both included a color dye marker to facilitate determination of mosquitoes feeding on the solutions. The trial was conducted over a 38-day period, using CDC light traps to monitor mosquito populations. On day 8, ASB solution in the control site and ATSB solution in the treatment site were sprayed using a hand-pump on patches of vegetation. Samples of female mosquitoes were age-graded to determine the impact of ATSB treatment on vector longevity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Immediately after spraying ATSB in the treatment site, the relative abundance of female and male <it>An. gambiae </it>s.l. declined about 90% from pre-treatment levels and remained low. In the treatment site, most females remaining after ATSB treatment had not completed a single gonotrophic cycle, and only 6% had completed three or more gonotrophic cycles compared with 37% pre-treatment. In the control site sprayed with ASB (without toxin), the proportion of females completing three or more gonotrophic cycles increased from 28.5% pre-treatment to 47.5% post-treatment. In the control site, detection of dye marker in over half of the females and males provided direct evidence that the mosquitoes were feeding on the sprayed solutions.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study in Mali shows that even a single application of ATSB can substantially decrease malaria vector population densities and longevity. It is likely that ATSB methods can be used as a new powerful tool for the control of malaria vectors, particularly since this approach is highly effective for mosquito control, technologically simple, inexpensive, and environmentally safe.</p

Brucellosis in dairy herds: a public health concern in the milk supply chains of West and Central Africa

Ten herd-level cross-sectional studies were conducted in peri-urban dairy production areas of seven West and Central African countries (Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo). The objectives were to estimate herd level Brucella spp. seroprevalence and identify risk factors for seropositivity. In each of the ten study areas, herds (between 52 and 142 per area, total = 965) were selected probabilistically and a structured questionnaire was administered to gather information on their structure and management. A bulk milk sample from each herd was tested by indirect ELISA for Brucella spp. For each area, herd seroprevalence estimates were obtained after adjusting for the assumed performance of the diagnostic test. Herd level risk factors for Brucella spp. seropositivity were identified by means of stratified logistic regression, with each peri-urban zone as a stratum. Area-specific models were also explored. Estimated herd seroprevalences were: Lomé (Togo) 62.0% (95% CI:55.0-69.0), Bamako (Mali) 32.5% (95% CI:28.0-37.0), Bujumbura (Burundi) 14.7% (95%CI:9.4-20.8), Bamenda (Cameroon) 12.6% (95% CI:7.6-21.9), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) 3.0% (95% CI:1.0-9.1), Ngaoundere (Cameroon) 2.3% (95% CI:1.0-7.0), Thies (Senegal) 1.3% (95% CI:0.1, 5.3), Niamey (Niger) 1.2% (95% CI:0.08-5.3), Dakar (Senegal) 0.2% (95% CI:0.01-1.7) and Niakhar (Senegal) <0.04%. Logistic regression modelling revealed transhumant herds to be at lower risk of infection (adjusted OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.13 - 0.5) and in one of the areas (Bamenda), regular purchase of new animals was found to be strongly associated with Brucella spp. seropositivity (adjusted OR = 5.3, 95% CI: 1.4-25.9). Our findings confirm that Brucella spp. circulates among dairy cattle supplying milk to urban consumers in West and Central Africa, posing a serious public health concern. Control programs are urgently needed in areas such as Lomé or Bamako, where more than 30% of the herds show evidence of infection