Reducing the social acceptability of wildlife trafficking through behaviour change interventions

Behaviour change interventions aimed at reducing the social acceptability of wildlife trafficking are an important part of efforts to prevent wildlife crime. This policy brief summarises lessons learned about how to develop and frame effective messages in the context of these interventions, based on field work conducted in Uganda. A key first step is to narrowly identify the right target audience . While a general public awareness campaign may have its merits, it may be more effective to focus on those identified as most vulnerable to participating in wildlife trafficking, namely young men, those that live around wildlife trafficking hotspots and those involved in trade. Second, it appears most promising to formulate messages that challenge narrow utilitarian perceptions of wildlife by highlighting the hidden costs of trafficking and its negative impact on the economy and the environment. Messages that focus on legal risks should showcase successes in detection and sanctions, especially in a context in which impunity is perceived to be high. Other messages that seek to challenge the overvalued benefits of engaging in wildlife trafficking in relation to wealth and social status should be carefully nuanced to avoid rejection. Third, how we frame such messages is equally important. The research suggests that appealing to social identity and highlighting personal consequences are the most promising frames to adopt. Overall, practitioners are advised to develop and test messages and approaches that are personal and precise

Prevalence and predictors of unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.

Introduction: Knowledge of a person’s HIV status during pregnancy is critical for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago Hospital.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of women that had just delivered. The women’s demographic characteristics, health seeking behaviour, health system-related factors and knowledge on PMTCT were collected. Fisher’s exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and logistic regression were used to test associations.Results: The prevalence of unknown HIV status was 2.6% (10/382). Attending ANC at higher level facilities (OR =0.1 95% CI 0.0 – 0.4) and having been counselled for HIV testing during ANC (OR=0.1, 95% CI 0.0 - 0.4) were associated with likelihood of having a known HIV status. Out of the ten women with unknown HIV status, 4/6 who attended ANC in public/ government accredited health facilities “opted out” of HIV testing due to personal reasons. Among the four who attended ANC in private clinics, two were not offered HIV testing and one “opted out”.Conclusion: Most participants had a known HIV status at labour (97%). Private clinics need to be supported to provide free quality HCT services in ANC.Keywords: Unknown HIV status, women delivering, Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Ugand

Proliferation and shoot recovery among the East African highland banana

Production of East African highland banana (EA-AAA banana) ( Musa spp.) is limited by scarcity of planting materials, attributable to their low natural proliferation ability. Under natural field conditions, the EA-AAA bananas greatly differ in suckering ability. In vitro micropropagation has been adopted as an alternative means for production of banana planting materials. In this study, the in vitro proliferation potential of seven EA-AAA banana cultivars, with different suckering ability was determined on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, to enhance development of micropropagation protocols for their multiplication. Commonly cultivated non EA-AAA banana cultivars were used to compare proliferation of the seven EA-AAA cultivars. There was a wide variation in the number and morphology of shoots and buds produced by the different cultivars. The EA-AAA banana cultivars produced 3-4 new shoots in each subculture cycle, and 57-169 recoverable shoots from one starting shoot-tip explant in 18 weeks. Non-EA-AAA banana cultivars, namely Sukali Ndizi (AAB) and Yangambi Km5 (AAA), showed higher proliferation levels, 5 and 9 shoots, from each subculture cycle and 322 and 352 recoverable shoots, respectively. The EA-AAA banana cultivars showed higher efficiency to produce recoverable shoots from shoot buds (53 - 66% except for cv. Kabula at 36%) compared to Sukali Ndizi (52%) and Yangambi Km5 (32%). The study demonstrates the potential of in vitro approach for production of banana planting materials. In vitro proliferation ability and in particualr efficiency to produce recoverable shoots of the different EA-AAA banana cultivars could be improved by varying the culture conditions during the subsequent subculture cycles.La production de la banane (EA-AAA banana) ( Musa spp.) dans les montagnes de l\u2019Afrique de l\u2019Est est limit\ue9e par le manque du mat\ue9riel de plantation suite \ue0 leur base capacit\ue9 de prolif\ue9ration. En conditions naturelles au champs, les bananes EA-AAA different consid\ue9rablement en leur capacit\ue9 de succion. La propagation in vitro a \ue9t\ue9 adopt\ue9e comme moyen alt\ue9rnatif pour la production du mat\ue9riel de plantation de la banana. Dans cette \ue9tude, le potentiel de prolif\ue9ration in vitro de sept cultivars de banana EA-AAA de capacit\ue9 de succion diff\ue9rente, \ue9tait d\ue9termin\ue9 sur les media de Murashige et Skoog (MS), afin d\u2019am\ue9liorer le d\ue9veloppement de protocoles de micropropagation pour leur multiplication. Des cultivars commun\ue9ment cultiv\ue9s autre que la banana EA-AAA \ue9taient utilis\ue9s pour faire la comparaison avec la proliferation des sept cultivars EA-AAA. Il y\u2019avait eu une large variation dans le nombre et la morphologie des pousses et bourgeons de diff\ue9rents cultivars. Les cultivars de bananes EA-AAA ont produit 3-4 nouvelles pousses dans chaque cycle de sous culture et 57-169 pousses recouvrables d\u2019un explant de pousse dans 18 semaines. Les cultivars de bananes non-EA-AAA nom\ue9ment Sukali Ndizi (AAB) and Yangambi Km5 (AAA), ont montr\ue9 de niveaux \ue9lev\ue9s de proliferation, 5 et 9 pousses de chaque cycle de sous culture et 322 et 352 pousses recouvrables, respectivement. Les cultivars de bananes EA-AAA ont montr\ue9 un niveau d\u2019efficacit\ue9 \ue9lev\ue9 quant \ue0 la production de de pousses recouvrables \ue0 partir de bourgeons (3566% except\ue9 pour cv. Kabula \ue0 36%) en comparaison avec Sukali Ndizi (52% et Yangambi km5 (32%). Cette \ue9tude d\ue9montre le potentiel de production du mat\ue9riel de plantation de la banana par l\u2019approche in vitro. La capacit\ue9 de proliferation in vitro et en particulier l\u2019efficacit\ue9 de produire de pousses recouvrables de diff\ue9rents cultivars pourrait \ueatre am\ue9lior\ue9 en variant les conditions de cultrure Durant les cycles sous culturales

Prevalence and predictors of unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago National Referral Hospital, Kampala, Uganda.

Introduction: Knowledge of a person\u2019s HIV status during pregnancy is critical for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and factors associated with unknown HIV status among women delivering in Mulago Hospital. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of women that had just delivered. The women\u2019s demographic characteristics, health seeking behaviour, health system-related factors and knowledge on PMTCT were collected. Fisher\u2019s exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test and logistic regression were used to test associations. Results: The prevalence of unknown HIV status was 2.6% (10/382). Attending ANC at higher level facilities (OR =0.1 95% CI 0.0 \u2013 0.4) and having been counselled for HIV testing during ANC (OR=0.1, 95% CI 0.0 - 0.4) were associated with likelihood of having a known HIV status. Out of the ten women with unknown HIV status, 4/6 who attended ANC in public/ government accredited health facilities \u201copted out\u201d of HIV testing due to personal reasons. Among the four who attended ANC in private clinics, two were not offered HIV testing and one \u201copted out\u201d. Conclusion: Most participants had a known HIV status at labour (97%). Private clinics need to be supported to provide free quality HCT services in ANC

Indirect effects of COVID-19 on maternal, neonatal, child, sexual and reproductive health services in Kampala, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 impacted global maternal, neonatal and child health outcomes. We hypothesised that the early, strict lockdown that restricted individuals' movements in Uganda limited access to services. METHODS: An observational study, using routinely collected data from Electronic Medical Records, was carried out, in Kawempe district, Kampala. An interrupted time series analysis assessed the impact on maternal, neonatal, child, sexual and reproductive health services from July 2019 to December 2020. Descriptive statistics summarised the main outcomes before (July 2019-March 2020), during (April 2020-June 2020) and after the national lockdown (July 2020-December 2020). RESULTS: Between 1 July 2019 and 31 December 2020, there were 14 401 antenatal clinic, 33 499 deliveries, 111 658 childhood service and 57 174 sexual health attendances. All antenatal and vaccination services ceased in lockdown for 4 weeks.During the 3-month lockdown, the number of antenatal attendances significantly decreased and remain below pre-COVID levels (370 fewer/month). Attendances for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV dropped then stabilised. Increases during lockdown and immediately postlockdown included the number of women treated for high blood pressure, eclampsia and pre-eclampsia (218 more/month), adverse pregnancy outcomes (stillbirths, low-birth-weight and premature infant births), the rate of neonatal unit admissions, neonatal deaths and abortions. Maternal mortality remained stable. Immunisation clinic attendance declined while neonatal death rate rose (from 39 to 49/1000 livebirths). The number of children treated for pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria decreased during lockdown. CONCLUSION: The Ugandan response to COVID-19 negatively impacted maternal, child and neonatal health, with an increase seen in pregnancy complications and fetal and infant outcomes, likely due to delayed care-seeking behaviour. Decreased vaccination clinic attendance leaves a cohort of infants unprotected, affecting all vaccine-preventable diseases. Future pandemic responses must consider impacts of movement restrictions and access to preventative services to protect maternal and child health

Lithological influences on contemporary and long-term regolith weathering at the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory

Lithologic differences give rise to the differential weatherability of the Earth’s surface and globally variable silicate weathering fluxes, which provide an important negative feedback on climate over geologic timescales. To isolate the influence of lithology on weathering rates and mechanisms, we compare two nearby catchments in the Luquillo Critical Zone Observatory in Puerto Rico, which have similar climate history, relief and vegetation, but differ in bedrock lithology. Regolith and pore water samples with depth were collected from two ridgetops and at three sites along a slope transect in the volcaniclastic Bisley catchment and compared to existing data from the granitic Río Icacos catchment. The depth variations of solid-state and pore water chemistry and quantitative mineralogy were used to calculate mass transfer (tau) and weathering solute profiles, which in turn were used to determine weathering mechanisms and to estimate weathering rates. Regolith formed on both lithologies is highly leached of most labile elements, although Mg and K are less depleted in the granitic than in the volcaniclastic profiles, reflecting residual biotite in the granitic regolith not present in the volcaniclastics. Profiles of both lithologies that terminate at bedrock corestones are less weathered at depth, near the rock-regolith interfaces. Mg fluxes in the volcaniclastics derive primarily from dissolution of chlorite near the rock-regolith interface and from dissolution of illite and secondary phases in the upper regolith, whereas in the granitic profile, Mg and K fluxes derive from biotite dissolution. Long-term mineral dissolution rates and weathering fluxes were determined by integrating mass losses over the thickness of solid-state weathering fronts, and are therefore averages over the timescale of regolith development. Resulting long-term dissolution rates for minerals in the volcaniclastic regolith include chlorite: 8.9 × 10‾¹⁴ mol m‾² s‾¹, illite: 2.1 × 10‾¹⁴ mol m‾² s‾¹ and kaolinite: 4.0 × 10‾¹⁴ mol m‾² s‾¹. Long-term weathering fluxes are several orders of magnitude lower in the granitic regolith than in the volcaniclastic, despite higher abundances of several elements in the granitic regolith. Contemporary weathering fluxes were determined from net (rain-corrected) solute profiles and thus represent rates over the residence time of water in the regolith. Contemporary weathering fluxes within the granitic regolith are similar to the long-term fluxes. In contrast, the long-term fluxes are faster than the contemporary fluxes in the volcaniclastic regolith. Contemporary fluxes in the granitic regolith are generally also slightly faster than in the volcaniclastic. The differences in weathering fluxes over space and time between these two watersheds indicate significant lithologic control of chemical weathering mechanisms and rates