Soil transmitted Helminths : an ethnografic study of the community perspective, lay beliefs and practices in Ngombe, Zambia

Intestinal worm infections are prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, and are, from a public health perspective, a significant cause of morbidity in many areas. Factors that contribute to spreading infections are inadequate sanitary facilities/water supplies, and lack of health care services. The aim of this study is to investigate how Soil Transmitted Helminth infections are being dealt with in Ngombe, a deprived area in Zambia. How do people dispose-off faecal matter in the community? How do lay people perceive worm infections, their symptoms and causes? What do lay people do to treat and prevent infections? To what extent are these infections considered as a health problem? This study is based on fieldwork, observations, and interviews with sixty-five informants, conducted from August to December 2001 in Ngombe, Zambia. Disposal of faecal matter varies according to age and availability of facilities: in children from using nappies, defecating on the ground, use of latrines to use of the bush; and use of latrines and the bush for adults. Lay beliefs about the cause of symptoms of intestinal worm infections vary: excessive consumption of particular vegetables, eating soil and contaminated food, eating vegetable which has been sprayed with pesticides, playing in contaminated soil and water, and finally, the condition may be perceived as congenital. While some people seek biomedical help, others distrust biomedical treatment and choose seeking traditional healers for treatment. However, many people think intestinal worm infections are natural , or no more than a minor health problem. This study demonstrates and argues that public health initiative needs to be based on local community needs, in order to take into account the material resources, various perceptions, ideas and explanatory frameworks people have in relation to worm infections

How community engagement strategies shape participation in mass drug administration programmes for lymphatic filariasis: The case of Luangwa District, Zambia.

BACKGROUND:The success of the global strategy to eliminate lymphatic filariasis (LF) through mass drug administration (MDA) campaigns is dependent on meeting high coverage levels over long periods of time. Community engagement plays a critical role in driving coverage and involvement of local communities in MDA for LF. This study explored how community engagement approaches used in MDA for LF shape participation in the programme, with a view of proposing effective engagement strategies. METHODS:The study was conducted in Luangwa, a rural District of Lusaka province, Zambia. An exploratory qualitative case study approach was employed. A total of nine focus group discussions, six in-depth and seven key informant interviews were conducted with various participants that included; community members, traditional leaders and programme managers, respectively. Data were analysed using a thematic approach, aided by NVivo 10 software. RESULTS:Three core thematic areas emerged from the data as priority focus areas for programme planners and implementers in designing effective community engagement strategies that facilitate participation. Firstly, employing of partnership approaches through adequate and timely engagement of traditional, government and non-governmental organisation structures. Secondly, use of appropriate and innovative health education initiatives to disseminate information about the programme. Thirdly, addressing context specific programme implementation barriers affecting community engagement in MDA for LF. CONCLUSION:Facilitating participation in MDA for LF will require designing and implementing effective community engagement strategies that take into account local context, but also seek to explore all avenues of maximizing participation for improved coverage levels. MDA for LF implementation teams should systematically consider the identified factors and seek to incorporate them in their implementation plans

Social and clinical attributes of patients who restart antiretroviral therapy in central and Copperbelt provinces, Zambia: a retrospective longitudinal study

Abstract Background About 30 % of the patients initiated on antiretroviral therapy in Zambia default treatment. Some of these patients later restart treatment; however, the characteristics of these patients have not been well described and documented. The aim of this study was to describe and document the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who default and restart antiretroviral therapy, and to determine the socio-demographic characteristics associated with CD4 count response at 6 and 24 months of restarting antiretroviral therapy. Methods A longitudinal retrospective analysis was performed on data from 535 adult patients restarting antiretroviral therapy in 2009 and 2010 at five antiretroviral therapy centres in Copperbelt and Central provinces of Zambia. To determine the association between the socio-demographic characteristics and CD4 cell count, quantile regression models were used. Results Older age above 45 years was associated with a significantly lower CD4 cell response by 38.1 cells/mm3 (95 % Confidence interval [CI]: −109.4 to −0.2) compared to the younger age (15–29 years). Patients in formal employment (Adjusted Coefficient [AC] 29.5, 95 % CI: 22.8 to 81.1) and self-employment (AC 48.1, 95 % CI: 18.6 to 77.4) gained significantly higher CD4 cells than those unemployed. In addition, baseline CD4 count, type of treatment, WHO staging, total duration on treatment and duration lost to follow-up were found to be strong predictors of CD4 cell count at 6 and 24 months after restarting antiretroviral therapy treatment. Conclusion Age and occupation were the only socio-demographic characteristics predicting CD4 count in the patients at 6 months after restarting antiretroviral therapy after adjusting for other confounding clinical variables

Exploring communication and implementation challenges of the HIV/AIDS policy change to test-and-treat-all in selected public health facilities in Lusaka District, Zambia

Background: The World Health Organization has promoted a shift towards the test-and-treat-all strategy to accelerate the elimination of HIV/AIDS. Zambia was one of the early African countries to adopt this strategy as the policy change was officially announced on national television by the republican president on 15th August 2017. This study explored the communication and implementation challenges of the HIV/AIDS policy change to test-and-treat-all in selected public health facilities in Lusaka District, Zambia. Methods: A qualitative case study design was employed with a purposeful sample of policy makers, international partners, National AIDS Council representatives, health facility managers, and frontline health providers in selected tertiary, secondary and primary health facilities in the Lusaka District, Zambia. Thematic data analysis was performed using NVivo 12 Pro software. Results: In total, 22 key informant interviews and 3 focus group discussions were conducted. The government relied on formal and informal channels to communicate the test-and-treat-all policy change to health providers. Whilst HIV policy changes were reflected in the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework, there was little awareness of this policy by the frontline providers. The use of informal communication channels such as verbal and text instructions affected health providers’ implementation of the test-and-treat-all. Electronic and print media were ineffective in communicating the test-and-treat-all policy change to some sections of the public. Top-down stakeholder engagement, limited health worker training, and poor financing negatively affected the implementation of the test-and-treat-all policy change. Acceptability of the test-and-treat-all policy change was shaped by positive provider perceptions of its benefits, limited sense of policy ownership, and resistance by the non-treatment-ready patients. Furthermore, unintended consequences of the test-and-treat-all policy change on human resources for health and facility infrastructure were reported. Conclusion: Effective test-and-treat-all policy change communication is vital for successful policy implementation as it enhances interpretation and adoption among health providers and patients. There is a need to enhance collaboration among policy makers, implementers and the public to develop and apply communication strategies that facilitate the adoption of the test-and-treat-all policy changes to sustain gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS

Examining the Role of Social Determinants of Health and COVID-19 Risk in 28 African Countries

While the impact of the pandemic has varied between and within countries, there are few published data on the relationship between social determinants of health (SDoH) and COVID-19 in Africa. This ecological cross-sectional study examines the relationship between COVID-19 risk and SDoH among 28 African countries. Included were countries with a recent demographic and health survey (years 2010 to 2018). The response variables were COVID-19 case rates and death rates (reported as of 15 August 2020); and the covariates comprised eight broad topics common to multiple SDoH frameworks aggregated to the country level: geography (urban residence), wealth index, education, employment, crowding, and access to information. A negative binomial regression was used to assess the association between aspects of SDoH and COVID-19 outcomes. Our analysis indicated that 1 in 4 (25.1%) households in study countries are without safe and clean water and a space for handwashing. The odds of COVID-19 morbidity and deaths were higher in countries with a high proportion of households without access to safe and clean water. Having a high proportional of educated women (1.003: 95% CI, 1.001–1.005) and living in a less crowded home (0.959: 95% CI, 0.920–1.000) were negatively associated with COVID-19 deaths, while being insured and owning a mobile phone predicted illness. Overall, aspects of SDoH contribute either negatively or positively to COVID-19 outcomes. Thus, addressing economic and environmental SDoH is critical for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and re-emerging diseases on the African continent