Editorial

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Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 2, no. 3

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. Agnes Okoh. 2. Self-Sacrificial Christian Pioneers of Uganda. 3. Apolo Kivebulaya. 4. Njangalia. 5. Spetume Florence. 6. Luwum. 7. Janani Jakaliya. 8. Anglican Church in Uganda. 9. Lamin Sanneh

Towards the development of integrated cultural control of tomato late blight (phytophthora infestans) in Uganda

Tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum ) is a major vegetable crop in Uganda. Moneymaker, Marglobe, Heinz and Roma are the major commercial varieties grown in the country, the first two being the most popular. Late blight ( Phytophthora infestans ) is the most important disease of Ugandan tomatoes. Tomato cultivation in Uganda is mostly done continuously throughout the year which perpetuates P. infestans survival and sources of inoculum. Late blight in Uganda is predominately controlled by fungicides and the most commonly used fungicide is Dithane M-45 (mancozeb). However, there are virtually no data available on the effectiveness of control of the disease on tomatoes in the country.This research was aimed at developing integrated disease management practices, which avoid where possible the use of fungicides, for late blight disease in Uganda. In the Ugandan situation, this effectively means a range of cultural control practices. New isolation techniques which make use of healthy, and diseased tomato fruits to isolate the pathogen from tomatoes were developed and used in the research. Ugandan isolates of P. infestans were found to be of A1 mating type but this was on the basis of a very limited number of samples. The study indicated that sanitation can reduce late blight disease incidence and severity but causes adverse effects on the crop in terms of height, flower formation, fruit numbers and yield.The use of polythene shelters, intercropping, or high tomato planting densities each combined with sanitation helped to alleviate the adverse effect of sanitation and reduced the disease levels even further. The fungicide (Dithane M-45) was only partially effective in controlling late blight by delaying epidemics for about 2 weeks. Nevertheless the fungicide consistently gave higher numbers of fruits and yield than any of the cultural practices, with or without sanitation. If cultural practices are to substitute for fungicides within an integrated disease management system, then further development work is required.</p

Zinc status in HIV infected Ugandan children aged 1-5 years: a cross sectional baseline survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low concentrations of serum zinc have been reported in HIV infected adults and are associated with disease progression and an increased risk of death. Few studies have been conducted in HIV infected children in Africa. We determined serum zinc levels and factors associated with zinc deficiency in HIV infected Ugandan children.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We measured the baseline zinc status of 247 children aged 1-5 years enrolled in a randomised trial for multiple micronutrient supplementation at paediatric HIV clinics in Uganda (<url>http://ClinicalTrials.gov</url> NCT00122941). Zinc status was determined using inductively coupled atomic emission spectrophotometry (ICP-AES). Clinical and laboratory characteristics were compared among zinc deficient (zinc < 10.0 μmol/L) and non deficient children. Logistic regression was used to determine predictors of low serum zinc.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 247 children, 134 (54.3%) had low serum zinc (< 10.0 μmol/L). Of the 44 children on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), 13 (29.5%) had low zinc compared to 121/203 (59.6%) who were not on HAART. Overall, independent predictors of low zinc were fever (OR 2.2; 95%CI 1.1 - 4.6) and not taking HAART (OR 3.7; 95%CI 1.8 - 7.6).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Almost two thirds of HAART naïve and a third of HAART treated HIV infected children were zinc deficient. Increased access to HAART among HIV infected children living in Uganda might reduce the prevalence of zinc deficiency.</p

‘As soon as they can hold a glass, they begin taking alcohol’: a qualitative study on early childhood substance use in Mbale District, Uganda

Background Globally, substance use is a leading contributor to the burden of disease among young people, with far reaching social, economic and health effects. Following a finding of harmful alcohol use among 5-8-year-old children in Mbale District, Uganda, this study aims to investigate community members’ views on early childhood substance use among children below the age of 10 years. Methods In 2016, we conducted eight focus group discussions with 48 parents and 26 key informant interviews with teachers, health workers, alcohol distributors, traditional healers, religious leaders, community leaders and youth workers. We used thematic content analysis. Four participants and two research assistants reviewed and confirmed the findings. Results Alcohol in everyday life: ‘Even children on laps taste alcohol’: Almost all participants confirmed the existence of and concern for substance use before age 10. They described a context where substance use was widespread in the community, especially intake of local alcoholic brews. Children would access substances in the home or buy it themselves. Those living in poor neighbourhoods or slums and children of brewers were described as particularly exposed. Using substances to cope: ‘We don’t want them to drink’: Participants explained that some used substances to cope with a lack of food and resources for childcare, as well as traumatic experiences. This made children in deprived families and street-connected children especially vulnerable to substance use. Participants believed this was a result of seeing no alternative solution. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the context and conditions of childhood substance use before age 10 in Mbale District, Uganda. The study shows that community members attributed early childhood substance use to a social context of widespread use in the community, which was exacerbated by conditions of material and emotional deprivation. These social determinants for this practice deserve public health attention and intervention.publishedVersio

The effectiveness of emergency obstetric referral interventions in developing country settings : a systematic review

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

COP27 climate change conference: Urgent action needed for Africa and the world

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