An outbreak of intestinal schistosomiasis, alongside increasing urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence, in primary school children on the shoreline of Lake Malawi, Mangochi District, Malawi

Background: Intestinal schistosomiasis was not considered endemic in Lake Malawi until 14 November 2017 when populations of Biomphalaria pfeifferi were first reported; in May 2018, emergence of intestinal schistosomiasis was confirmed. This emergence was in spite of ongoing control of urogenital schistosomiasis by preventive chemotherapy. Our current study sought to ascertain whether intestinal schistosomiasis is transitioning from emergence to outbreak, to judge if stepped-up control interventions are needed. Methods: During late-May 2019, three cross-sectional surveys of primary school children for schistosomiasis were conducted using a combination of rapid diagnostic tests, parasitological examinations and applied morbidity-markers; 1) schistosomiasis dynamics were assessed at Research Article IDOP Samama (n = 80) and Mchoka (n = 80) schools, where Schistosoma mansoni was first reported, 2) occurrence of S. mansoni was investigated at two non-sampled schools, Mangochi Orphan Education and Training (MOET) (n = 60) and Koche (n = 60) schools, where B. pfeifferi was nearby, and 3) rapid mapping of schistosomiasis, and B. pfeifferi, conducted across a further 8 shoreline schools (n = 240). After data collection, univariate analyses and Chi-square testing were performed, followed by binary logistic regression using generalized linear models, to investigate epidemiological associations. Results: In total, 520 children from 12 lakeshore primary schools were examined, mean prevalence of S. mansoni by ‘positive’ urine circulating cathodic antigen (CCA)-dipsticks was 31.5% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 27.5–35.5). Upon comparisons of infection prevalence in May 2018, significant increases at Samama (Relative Risk (RR) = 1.7, 95% CI: 33 1.4–2.2) and Mchoka (RR = 2.7, 95% CI: 1.7–4.3) schools were observed. Intestinal schistosomiasis was confirmed at MOET (18.3%) and Koche (35.0%) schools, and in all rapid mapping schools, ranging from 10.0% to 56.7%. Several populations of B. pfeifferi were confirmed, with two new eastern shoreline locations noted. Mean prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was 24.0% (95% CI: 20.3–27.7). Conclusions: We notify that intestinal schistosomiasis, once considered non-endemic in Lake Malawi, is now transitioning from emergence to outbreak. Once control interventions can resume after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) suspensions, we recommend stepped-up preventive chemotherapy, with increased community-access to treatments, alongside renewed efforts in appropriate environmental control

On handling urban informality in southern Africa

In this article I reconsider the handling of urban informality by urban planning and management systems in southern Africa. I argue that authorities have a fetish about formality and that this is fuelled by an obsession with urban modernity. I stress that the desired city, largely inspired by Western notions of modernity, has not been and cannot be realized. Using illustrative cases of top–down interventions, I highlight and interrogate three strategies that authorities have deployed to handle informality in an effort to create or defend the modern city. I suggest that the fetish is built upon a desire for an urban modernity based on a concept of formal order that the authorities believe cannot coexist with the “disorder” and spatial “unruliness” of informality. I question the authorities' conviction that informality is an abomination that needs to be “converted”, dislocated or annihilated. I conclude that the very configuration of urban governance and socio-economic systems in the region, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, renders informality inevitable and its eradication impossible

Parameter Baserad Prediktionsmodell för Upplevd Talkvalité i Säker VoIP trafik

More and more sensitive information is communicated digitally and with thatcomes the demand for security and privacy on the services being used. An accurateQoS metric for these services are of interest both for the customer and theservice provider. This thesis has investigated the impact of different parameterson the perceived voice quality for encrypted VoIP using a PESQ score as referencevalue. Based on this investigation a parametric prediction model has been developedwhich outputs a R-value, comparable to that of the widely used E-modelfrom ITU. This thesis can further be seen as a template for how to construct modelsof other equipments or codecs than those evaluated here since they effect theresult but are hard to parametrise. The results of the investigation are consistent with previous studies regarding theimpact of packet loss, the impact of jitter is shown to be significant over 40 ms.The results from three different packetizers are presented which illustrates theneed to take such aspects into consideration when constructing a model to predictvoice quality. The model derived from the investigation performs well withno mean error and a standard deviation of the error of a mere 1:45 R-value unitswhen validated in conditions to be expected in GSM networks. When validatedagainst an emulated 3G network the standard deviation is even lower.