Water use efficiency of six rangeland grasses under varied soil moisture content levels in the arid Tana River County, Kenya

This study evaluated water use efficiency (WUE) of six range grasses, namely; Chloris roxburghiana, Eragrostis superba, Enteropogon macrostachyus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Chloris gayana, and Sorghum sudanense grown at 80, 50, 30% field capacity (FC) soil moisture contents and rainfed treatment which represented water deficit conditions. The changes in soil moisture content were measured by Gypsum Block which aided in determining the irrigation schedules. The grasses demonstrated varied levels of WUE which was evaluated by amount of biomass productivity in relation to evapotranspired water during the growing period. The three soil moisture content treatments had higher water use efficiency than rainfed conditions. There was a declining trend in WUE with grass species maturity where S. sudanense had higher WUE at 8, 10 and 12th weeks (> 15 kg DM ha-1 mm-) in all the treatments followed by C. gayana and E. macrostachyus and were significantly (p<0.05) different from E. superba, C. ciliaris and C. roxburghiana which had WUE less than 10 among the six grass species. The 30% FC soil moisture content had higher WUE at all the phenological stages for S. sudanense, C. gayana and E. macrostachyus compared to 80, 50% FC and rainfed with all having WUE greater than 20 kg DM ha-1 mm-1. These three species are recommended for irrigated pasture establishment in semi-arid lands where water supply uncertainties exist, owing to their high water use efficiency under lower soil moisture levels.Key words: Water use efficiency (WUE), water stress tolerance, range grasses, pasture irrigation, water deficit, Kenya

Effect of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Pregnancy on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Africa: An AFREhealth Call for Evidence through Multicountry Research Collaboration

In the African context, there is a paucity of data on SARS-CoV-2 infection and associated COVID-19 in pregnancy. Given the endemicity of infections such as malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), it is important to evaluate coinfections with SARS-CoV-2 and their impact on maternal/infant outcomes. Robust research is critically needed to evaluate the effects of the added burden of COVID-19 in pregnancy, to help develop evidence-based policies toward improving maternal and infant outcomes. In this perspective, we briefly review current knowledge on the clinical features of COVID-19 in pregnancy; the risks of preterm birth and cesarean delivery secondary to comorbid severity; the effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on the fetus/neonate; and in utero mother-to-child SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We further highlight the need to conduct multicountry surveillance as well as retrospective and prospective cohort studies across SSA. This will enable assessments of SARS-CoV-2 burden among pregnant African women and improve the understanding of the spectrum of COVID-19 manifestations in this population, which may be living with or without HIV, TB, and/or other coinfections/comorbidities. In addition, multicountry studies will allow a better understanding of risk factors and outcomes to be compared across countries and subregions. Such an approach will encourage and strengthen much-needed intra-African, south-to-south multidisciplinary and interprofessional research collaborations. The African Forum for Research and Education in Health's COVID-19 Research Working Group has embarked upon such a collaboration across Western, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa

Assessment of Clinical Outcomes Among Children and Adolescents Hospitalized With COVID-19 in 6 Sub-Saharan African Countries

Importance: Little is known about COVID-19 outcomes among children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, where preexisting comorbidities are prevalent. / Objective: To assess the clinical outcomes and factors associated with outcomes among children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 in 6 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. / Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was a retrospective record review of data from 25 hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda from March 1 to December 31, 2020, and included 469 hospitalized patients aged 0 to 19 years with SARS-CoV-2 infection. / Exposures: Age, sex, preexisting comorbidities, and region of residence. / Main Outcomes and Measures: An ordinal primary outcome scale was used comprising 5 categories: (1) hospitalization without oxygen supplementation, (2) hospitalization with oxygen supplementation, (3) ICU admission, (4) invasive mechanical ventilation, and (5) death. The secondary outcome was length of hospital stay. / Results: Among 469 hospitalized children and adolescents, the median age was 5.9 years (IQR, 1.6-11.1 years); 245 patients (52.4%) were male, and 115 (24.5%) had comorbidities. A total of 39 patients (8.3%) were from central Africa, 172 (36.7%) from eastern Africa, 208 (44.3%) from southern Africa, and 50 (10.7%) from western Africa. Eighteen patients had suspected (n = 6) or confirmed (n = 12) multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Thirty-nine patients (8.3%) died, including 22 of 69 patients (31.9%) who required intensive care unit admission and 4 of 18 patients (22.2%) with suspected or confirmed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. Among 468 patients, 418 (89.3%) were discharged, and 16 (3.4%) remained hospitalized. The likelihood of outcomes with higher vs lower severity among children younger than 1 year expressed as adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 4.89 (95% CI, 1.44-16.61) times higher than that of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. The presence of hypertension (aOR, 5.91; 95% CI, 1.89-18.50), chronic lung disease (aOR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.65-5.37), or a hematological disorder (aOR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.04-9.24) was associated with severe outcomes. Age younger than 1 year (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [asHR], 0.48; 95% CI, 0.27-0.87), the presence of 1 comorbidity (asHR, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.40-0.72), and the presence of 2 or more comorbidities (asHR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.18-0.38) were associated with reduced rates of hospital discharge. / Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of children and adolescents hospitalized with COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa, high rates of morbidity and mortality were observed among infants and patients with noncommunicable disease comorbidities, suggesting that COVID-19 vaccination and therapeutic interventions are needed for young populations in this region

The Critical Need for Pooled Data on Coronavirus Disease 2019 in African Children: An AFREhealth Call for Action Through Multicountry Research Collaboration

Globally, there are prevailing knowledge gaps in the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and outcomes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among children and adolescents; and these gaps are especially wide in African countries. The availability of robust age-disaggregated data is a critical first step in improving knowledge on disease burden and manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among children. Furthermore, it is essential to improve understanding of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with comorbidities and coinfections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), tuberculosis, malaria, sickle cell disease, and malnutrition, which are highly prevalent among children in sub-Saharan Africa. The African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) COVID-19 Research Collaboration on Children and Adolescents is conducting studies across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa to address existing knowledge gaps. This consortium is expected to generate key evidence to inform clinical practice and public health policy-making for COVID-19 while concurrently addressing other major diseases affecting children in African countries

Geographical Variation in the Response of Visceral Leishmaniasis to Paromomycin in East Africa: A Multicentre, Open-Label, Randomized Trial

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a fatal parasitic disease with 500,000 new cases each year according to WHO estimates. New and better treatment options are urgently needed in disease endemic areas due to the long courses, toxicity and development of resistance to current treatments. Recently, the antibiotic paromomycin was tested and registered in India to treat this disease. The current study describes a clinical trial to test the effectiveness of injectable paromomycin, either alone or in combination with the standard drug sodium stibogluconate in three East African countries—Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia. The study showed that at the same paromomycin dose that was successfully used and registered in India, a far poorer outcome was obtained, particularly in Sudan, suggesting that there are either differences in the patients ability to respond to the drug or in the susceptibility of parasites in East Africa compared with those in India. However, no major safety concerns were noted with the treatment. Further research was initiated to see if a higher dose of paromomycin would perform better, especially in Sudan. The results of this and the performance of the combination arm will be reported later. Our study highlights the importance of considering geographical differences to treatment responses

Short Communication: Effect of increasing duration of water deprivation on feed intake, feed digestibility and body weight gain of Nganda sheep

No Abstract Available Bull Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. (2004) 52, 259-26

Estimation of body weight of Maasai Zebu calves and their crosses with Sahiwal and Boran in Kajiado District, Kenya

EVALUATION DU POIDS VIF DES VEAUX DE ZEBU MAASAI ET DE LEURS CROISEMENTS AVEC LE SAHIWAL ET LE BORAN DANS LE DISTRICT DE KAJIADO AU KENYA Résumé Une étude, menée en vue d'identifier les variables de veau qui pouvaient être utilisées pour concevoir une équation simple de régression linéaire afin d'évaluer le poids vif des veaux dans les systèmes pastoraux, est décrite. L'étude, qui a été conduite entre novembre 2000 et mars 2001, utilisait 232 veaux de moins de 10 mois appartenant à 23 ménages Maasai dans le district de Kajiado. L'équation de régression linéaire obtenue était beaucoup affectée par des facteurs tels que la circonférence thoracique, le sexe, l'état corporel et la race. Le coefficient global de détermination était de 92%. Le coefficient de corrélation entre le poids vif constaté et le poids vif envisagé était positif et très élevé. Il a été conclu que le sexe, la conformation, la circonférence thoracique et la race sont des paramètres utiles pour prévoir le poids vif des veaux dans le système pastoral de production chez les Maasai. Summary A study that was carried out to identify calf variables that could be used to develop a simple linear regression equation for estimating body weight of calves in pastoral systems is described. The study which was carried out between November 2000 and March 2001 used 232 calves less than 10 months old from 23 Maasai households in Kajiado District. The linear regression equation obtained was significantly affected by factors such as heart girth, sex, body condition score and breed. The overall coefficient of determination was 92.0%. The correlation coefficient between the observed and the predicted body weight was positive and highly significant. It was concluded that sex, body condition, heart girth and breed are useful predictors of body weight of calves in the Maasai pastoral production system. Bull Anim. Hlth. Prod. Afr. (2004) 53, 35-4