Kung’s Theory of Paradigm Shifts in Church History: An Evaluation

The theory of paradigms is a broad subject that has been discussed extensively from various perspectives including science, religion and history. Its strengths and weaknesses have been aptly considered. This research article seeks to investigate the extent of the theory\u27s applicability to church history. The question that we wish to address is: To what extent, is this theory of paradigms applicable in explaining the changes that have taken place through the history of Christianity

Factors that Contributed to the Growth of the Kenya Assemblies of God Church: An Analysis of Multi-paradigms

Many churches in Africa lack recorded history for various reasons, such as scarcity of funds and/or scholars in the field of church history (cf. Kalu, 1993:166ff). This situation is more prevalent among the Pentecostal movements which, initially and for genuine reasons, were anti-intellectualist and emphasized ministry alone (Clark & Lederle et al, 1983:41; McNamee, 1974:27; and Hollenweger). Another possible explanation results from the fact that these churches are relatively young compared to their counterpart mainline churches. This lack of recorded history poses a hindrance to any efforts in evaluating the growth of such churches. There is an immediate need to understand the complex nature of the Pentecostal churches and how growth is motivated within their congregations. This is only possible if history is documented. Marwick (1989: 14) states that as memory is to the individual, so history is to the community or society. To fully appreciate history, it is necessary to have it recorded, not just for the present but also for future generations. A church may not be able to adequately evaluate its growth or understand itself without recorded history. This fact applies also to Assemblies of God Church (hereafter KAG) as one of the major Pentecostal movements in Kenya and other parts of the world (Anderson, 1992 & 1993; and Saayman, 1993). Recorded history is a treasure to any people, society or organisation (Brumback, 1977:iii). If history is not recorded within the life-span of pioneer members, it is likely that when the pioneers have departed, important information that makes the history complete, may die with them. The KAG church has over three decades worth of history and obviously, most of the pioneer members (both missionaries and nationals) are either gone or leaving the stage, one way or the other. As such, a reflection on its history is timely for the purpose of . evaluating both its growth and significance (cf. McIntire, 1984:40)

Kung’s Theory of Paradigm Shifts in Church History: An Evaluation

The theory of paradigms is a broad subject that has been discussed extensively from various perspectives including science, religion and history. Its strengths and weaknesses have been aptly considered. This research article seeks to investigate the extent of the theory\u27s applicability to church history. The question that we wish to address is: To what extent, is this theory of paradigms applicable in explaining the changes that have taken place through the history of Christianity

Resource Use Conflicts and Biodiversity Conservation in Jozani Ecosystem, Zanziba

Resource Conflicts are the major challenge to the responsible Institutions in the management and conservation of biodiversity in Zanzibar due to the existence of multiple and interactive reasons that lead to conflicts. This paper intends to reveal the less known current status of resource conflicts in the management of biodiversity in Jozani ecosystem, Zanzibar. The study employed descriptive survey research design of the causal comparative research design to collect data from 280 respondents which constitute the study population. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean, frequency, standard deviation and Pearson correlation were used for data analysis. The outcome of the study showed that there is significant relationship existed between resource conflicts and the management of biodiversity conservation in Jozani ecosystem. The study has implications for environmental policy makers. The study concludes by asserting that unemployment, poverty and scarcity of environmental resources are the major causes of conflict, therefore the call is directed to policy makers to strengthen efforts on resolving conflicts by establishing overall strategies such as establishment of participatory community-based approaches to natural resource management, conflict resolution capacity building measures among the stakeholders, amendment of Laws and expansion of employment to reduce direct relying on using natural resource assets for livelihood

Praziquantel coverage in schools and communities targeted for the elimination of urogenital schistosomiasis in Zanzibar: a cross-sectional survey

© 2015 Knopp et al. Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated. The attached file is the published version of the article

Novel tools and strategies for breaking schistosomiasis transmission: study protocol for an intervention study

BACKGROUND: Global elimination of schistosomiasis as a public health problem is set as target in the new World Health Organization's Neglected Tropical Diseases Roadmap for 2030. Due to a long history of interventions, the Zanzibar islands of Tanzania have reached this goal since 2017. However, challenges occur on the last mile towards interruption of transmission. Our study will investigate new tools and strategies for breaking schistosomiasis transmission. METHODS: The study is designed as an intervention study, documented through repeated cross-sectional surveys (2020-2024). The primary endpoint will be the sensitivity of a surveillance-response approach to detect and react to outbreaks of urogenital schistosomiasis over three years of implementation. The surveys and multi-disciplinary interventions will be implemented in 20 communities in the north of Pemba island. In low-prevalence areas, surveillance-response will consist of active, passive and reactive case detection, treatment of positive individuals, and focal snail control. In hotspot areas, mass drug administration, snail control and behaviour change interventions will be implemented. Parasitological cross-sectional surveys in 20 communities and their main primary schools will serve to adapt the intervention approach annually and to monitor the performance of the surveillance-response approach and impact of interventions. Schistosoma haematobium infections will be diagnosed using reagent strips and urine filtration microscopy, and by exploring novel point-of-care diagnostic tests. DISCUSSION: Our study will shed light on the field applicability and performance of novel adaptive intervention strategies, and standard and new diagnostic tools for schistosomiasis elimination. The evidence and experiences generated by micro-mapping of S. haematobium infections at community level, micro-targeting of new adaptive intervention approaches, and application of novel diagnostic tools can guide future strategic plans for schistosomiasis elimination in Zanzibar and inform other countries aiming for interruption of transmission. Trial registration ISRCTN, ISCRCTN91431493. Registered 11 February 2020, https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN91431493

Enteropathogen antibody dynamics and force of infection among children in low-resource settings.

Little is known about enteropathogen seroepidemiology among children in low-resource settings. We measured serological IgG responses to eight enteropathogens (Giardia intestinalis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Entamoeba histolytica, Salmonella enterica, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Campylobacter jejuni, norovirus) in cohorts from Haiti, Kenya, and Tanzania. We studied antibody dynamics and force of infection across pathogens and cohorts. Enteropathogens shared common seroepidemiologic features that enabled between-pathogen comparisons of transmission. Overall, exposure was intense: for most pathogens the window of primary infection was <3 years old; for highest transmission pathogens primary infection occurred within the first year. Longitudinal profiles demonstrated significant IgG boosting and waning above seropositivity cutoffs, underscoring the value of longitudinal designs to estimate force of infection. Seroprevalence and force of infection were rank-preserving across pathogens, illustrating the measures provide similar information about transmission heterogeneity. Our findings suggest antibody response can be used to measure population-level transmission of diverse enteropathogens in serologic surveillance

Treatment of co-infection with bancroftian filariasis and onchocerciasis: a safety and efficacy study of albendazole with ivermectin compared to treatment of single infection with bancroftian filariasis

BACKGROUND: In order to use a combination of ivermectin and albendazole for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis, it is important to assess the potential risk of increased adverse events in individuals infected with both lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. We compared the safety and efficacy of albendazole (400 mg) in combination with ivermectin (150 micrograms/kg), for the treatment of co-infections of Wuchereria bancrofti and Onchocerca volvulus with single infection of W. bancrofti. METHODS: The safety study on co-infections was a crossover, double blind design, while for the single infection of bancroftian filariasis an open design comparing two treatments was used. For co-infection, one group was allocated a single dose of ivermectin (150 micrograms/kg) plus albendazole (400 mg) (Group A). The other group received placebo (Group B). Five days later the treatment regime was reversed, with the Group A receiving placebo and Group B receiving treatment. For the single bancroftian filariasis infection, one group received a single dose of albendazole (400 mg) plus ivermectin (150 μg/kg) (Group C) while the other group received a single dose of albendazole (400 mg) alone (Group D). Blood and skin specimens were collected on admission day, day 0, and on days 2, 3, and 7 to assess drug safety and efficacy. Thereafter, blood and skin specimens were collected during the 12 months follow up for the assessment of drug efficacy. Study individuals were clinically monitored every six hours during the first 48 hours following treatment, and routine clinical examinations were performed during the hospitalisation period and follow-up. RESULTS: In individuals co-infected with bancroftian filariasis and onchocerciasis, treatment with ivermectin and albendazole was safe and tolerable. Physiological indices showed no differences between groups with co-infection (W. bancrofti and O. volvulus) or single infection (W. bancrofti). The frequency of adverse events in co-infected individuals was 63% (5/8, Group A, albendazole + ivermectin) and 57% (4/7, Group B, placebo) and of mild or moderate intensity. In single W. bancrofti infection the frequency of adverse events was 50% (6/12, Group C, albendazole + ivermectin) and 38% (5/13, Group D, albendazole) and of a similar intensity to those experienced with co-infection. There were no differences in adverse events between treatment groups. There was no significant difference in the reduction of microfilaraemia following treatment with albendazole and ivermectin in groups with single or co-infection. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that ivermectin plus albendazole is a safe and tolerable treatment for co-infection of bancroftian filariasis and onchocerciasis

Fine-scale-mapping of Schistosoma haematobium infections at the school and community levels and intermediate host snail abundance in the north of Pemba Island: baseline cross-sectional survey findings before the onset of a 3-year intervention study

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis elimination has gained renewed priority in the WHO guidance documents published in 2020 and 2022. The SchistoBreak project, implemented in Pemba, Tanzania between 2020 and 2024, aims to assess new tools and strategies for shifting from elimination as a public health problem towards interruption of transmission. Here we report our baseline findings and discuss implications for future interventions. METHODS: In 2020, human water contact sites (HWCSs) in the study area were geolocated and snail surveys were conducted. A parasitological and questionnaire cross-sectional baseline survey was implemented in 20 communities and their 16 primary schools between November 2020 and February 2021. Urine samples were collected at the school and household levels from individuals aged >/= 4 years. Schistosoma haematobium infection was detected by urine filtration microscopy. Snail, parasitological and questionnaire-derived data were analyzed descriptively, spatially and with generalized estimated equation models. RESULTS: The intermediate host snail Bulinus globosus was detected in 19.8% (33/167) of HWCSs. The overall S. haematobium prevalence was 1.2% (26/2196) in school-aged children and 0.8% (31/3893) in community members, with 0.2% (4/2196) and 0.1% (3/3893) heavy-intensity infections, respectively. Children who studied 2 km away (odds ratio [OR]: 5.0; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.3-11.1). Individuals living in a house located 2 km distance (OR: 18.0; 95% CI: 2.9-111.0). Self-reported praziquantel treatment coverage was 83.2% (2015/2423) in schoolchildren in the mass drug administration (MDA) conducted in August 2020. Coverage among adult community members was 59.9% (574/958), but only 34.8% (333/958) took praziquantel correctly. CONCLUSIONS: While the S. haematobium prevalence is very low in Pemba, there are many HWCSs with B. globosus situated close to schools or houses that pose a considerable risk of recrudescence. To maintain and accelerate the progress towards interruption of transmission, targeted and cost-effective interventions that are accepted by the community are needed; for example, snail control plus focal MDA, or test-and-treat in schools and households near infested waterbodies