Cholera and household water treatment why communities do not treat water after a cholera outbreak: a case study in Limpopo Province

Background: Cholera is one of the common diseases in developing countries caused by consumption of contaminated and untreated drinking water. A study was conducted 7 months after a cholera outbreak in Vhembe district, Limpopo, South Africa. The aim of the study was to assess if the communities were still conforming to safe water practices after an outbreak of cholera. Methodology: One hundred and fifty-two (152) participants from 11 villages were recruited to form 21 focus groups, with a mean of 7. The interview transcripts were coded and arranged based on the study themes. Results: Of the 21 groups in 11 villages, three villages were using water from boreholes, six were using river water and three were using mixed sources which included river, canal and spring water, three depended on municipal tanks and only six were using tap water. Only 19% of the respondents treated their water, even though the majority of communities reported treatment of water as a priority. Four villages claimed they never received environmental health education at all, while most of the villages confirmed they received education during a cholera outbreak. Conclusion: Regardless of the outbreak and health education efforts done, communities continued using unprotected water sources without any form of treatment, as they perceived it to be unimportant. Sustainable water supplies and environmental health education should be continued after an outbreak as it is important for public health gains

Seminar sejarah nasional V: subtema pengajaran sejarah

Buku ini merupakan kumpulan tulisan-tulisan dari Seminar sejarah nasional v dengan subtema pengajaran sejarah

Residents\u27 Social Interactions in Market Square and Its Impact on Community Well-Being

This study aims at ameliorating the associated challenges emanated from the ineffective planning, management and design of market square as well as appraisal of the interactions among people of diverse ethnicity. Hence, the study explores users\u27 interactions and activities within three markets square in rural neighborhoods of South-west, Nigeria. The significant relationship between resident\u27s interactions and the community well-being was explored. Consequently, this study highlights the influence of the market square as a typical neighborhood open space on residents\u27 well-being. The study\u27s quantitative approach encircled the purposive structured survey questionnaire data obtained from Yorubas, Hausas, and Ibos respondents (n=382); and analyzed by SPSS statistical package (version 22). Meanwhile, the qualitative data included observation of various activity pattern among the three ethnic groups. The study\u27s findings revealed that an improvement in the market square quality becomes necessary in order to increase residents\u27 interactions and well-being. Also, the study elucidates the appropriate link between the built environment, residents\u27 interactions, and well-being. It is concluded that residents\u27 well-being is a reflection of an experience manifested within the interplay of individuals and groups\u27 social interactions. This study of people and place relationships could better equip the professionals in the built environment on the importance of creating a sustainable open space towards improving residents\u27 well-being and rural community revitalization efforts

Community structure, diversity and biomass of trees in two forest subtypes of Pekan Forest Reserve, Pahang, Malaysia.

Two one-ha ecological plots representing Kempas-Ramin-Durian and Durian-Nyatoh forest subtypes were established in Compartment 156 and Compartment 200, respectively at Pekan Forest Reserve, Pahang to determine community structure, diversity and biomass of trees. All trees of 10 cm diameter at breast height and above were enumerated in the plots. Results showed that although tree stocking was almost similar in the two forest subtypes, the basal area, volume and total tree biomass were higher in the Kempas-Ramin-Durian subtype. Shannon-Weiner diversity index, H′ obtained in the Durian-Nyatoh subtype was however, significantly higher (p<0.05) than Kempas-Ramin Durian subtype. Morisita's Index of Dispersion (Id) showed a random distribution pattern for both forest subtypes

Identification of potential species to be planted in poor forests of the central forest spine (CFS) wildlife corridor Gerik, Perak

Central Forest Spine (CFS) of Malaysia serves as a corridor for wildlife to move around from one large forest to another to find food, water and shelter. Proposed rehabilitation of pockets of poor forest stands within CFS requires sound knowledge on appropriate tree species and planting technique to ensure its success. The main objectives of this study were to elucidate the vegetation composition, and to propose potential trees species to be planted along the wildlife corridor. A total of 5 plots, each with a radius of 10 metres were set up for this study and focused on three parts of the forest: forest edge (with more-or-less an opened canopy), 'middle' forest (an area between forest edge and closed-canopy forest, and this area is a semi-opened canopy) and forest valley. All trees of more than 5 meters high were recorded in terms of tree species, DBH and number of individuals. Analyses on species composition, the Importance Value Index (IVI) and Simpson's Index Analysis were carried out. The stand is dominated by non-dipterocarps with a very high percentage of 95.88%, with a total of 97 trees and 32 species in 18 families. Dominant species in the study area include Elateriospermum tapos Pternandra echinata, Sapium baccatum and Neolamarckia cadamba with the IVI value 19.47, 14.15, 12.14, and 11.34, respectively. The soil pH of the study area ranged from 3.34 to 6.08; the canopy; closure of (Plot 1) seemed to reduce the pH level, probably due to higher rate of decomposition (after the heavy litter fall). The presence of canopy (Plot 1) also has a positive effect on soil moisture, with highest soil moisture percentage of 25.24% to 27.12%. The potential species recommended for rehabilitation are Elateriospermum tapos, Sapium baccatum, Ficus fulva, Castanopsis inermis, Castanopsis megacarpa, Garcinia nigrolineata and Macaranga hypoleuca because they are readily adapted in the study area and also known to attract wildlife

Qatar genome: Insights on genomics from the Middle East

Despite recent biomedical breakthroughs and large genomic studies growing momentum, the Middle Eastern population, home to over 400 million people, is underrepresented in the human genome variation databases. Here we describe insights from Phase 1 of the Qatar Genome Program with whole genome sequenced 6047 individuals from Qatar. We identified more than 88 million variants of which 24 million are novel and 23 million are singletons. Consistent with the high consanguinity and founder effects in the region, we found that several rare deleterious variants were more common in the Qatari population while others seem to provide protection against diseases and have shaped the genetic architecture of adaptive phenotypes. These results highlight the value of our data as a resource to advance genetic studies in the Arab and neighboring Middle Eastern populations and will significantly boost the current efforts to improve our understanding of global patterns of human variations, human history, and genetic contributions to health and diseases in diverse populations.The Qatar Genome Program (QGP) and Qatar Biobank (QBB) are both Research and Development entities within Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The authors are thankful for everyone who contributed to this endeavor including the QGP and QBB team members, in addition to our partners at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Sidra Medicine and other national stakeholders. The authors would like to especially thank all participants in this study for their continuous support

Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative:Powering genetic discovery across human disease

Biobanks facilitate genome-wide association studies (GWASs), which have mapped genomic loci across a range of human diseases and traits. However, most biobanks are primarily composed of individuals of European ancestry. We introduce the Global Biobank Meta-analysis Initiative (GBMI)—a collaborative network of 23 biobanks from 4 continents representing more than 2.2 million consented individuals with genetic data linked to electronic health records. GBMI meta-analyzes summary statistics from GWASs generated using harmonized genotypes and phenotypes from member biobanks for 14 exemplar diseases and endpoints. This strategy validates that GWASs conducted in diverse biobanks can be integrated despite heterogeneity in case definitions, recruitment strategies, and baseline characteristics. This collaborative effort improves GWAS power for diseases, benefits understudied diseases, and improves risk prediction while also enabling the nomination of disease genes and drug candidates by incorporating gene and protein expression data and providing insight into the underlying biology of human diseases and traits.</p

Perceived risk of infection and death from COVID-19 among community members of low- and middle-income countries: A cross-sectional study [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]

Background: Risk perceptions of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are considered important as they impact community health behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine the perceived risk of infection and death due to COVID-19 and to assess the factors associated with such risk perceptions among community members in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa, Asia, and South America. Methods: An online cross-sectional study was conducted in 10 LMICs in Africa, Asia, and South America from February to May 2021. A questionnaire was utilized to assess the perceived risk of infection and death from COVID-19 and its plausible determinants. A logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with such risk perceptions. Results: A total of 1,646 responses were included in the analysis of the perceived risk of becoming infected and dying from COVID-19. Our data suggested that 36.4% of participants had a high perceived risk of COVID-19 infection, while only 22.4% had a perceived risk of dying from COVID-19. Being a woman, working in healthcare-related sectors, contracting pulmonary disease, knowing people in the immediate social environment who are or have been infected with COVID-19, as well as seeing or reading about individuals infected with COVID-19 on social media or TV were all associated with a higher perceived risk of becoming infected with COVID-19. In addition, being a woman, elderly, having heart disease and pulmonary disease, knowing people in the immediate social environment who are or have been infected with COVID-19, and seeing or reading about individuals infected with COVID-19 on social media or TV had a higher perceived risk of dying from COVID-19. Conclusions: The perceived risk of infection and death due to COVID-19 are relatively low among respondents; this suggests the need to conduct health campaigns to disseminate knowledge and information on the ongoing pandemic

A year of genomic surveillance reveals how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic unfolded in Africa

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