Assessing the spatio-temporal distribution of extreme heat events in Mozambique using the CHIRTS temperature dataset for 1983-2016.

The frequency, duration, and intensity of extreme heat events are increasing worldwide, posing a significant threat to public health. However, these events have been largely under-reported and understudied across the African continent. Consequently, the nature of extreme heat hazards and the impacts of such events across Africa remain largely unknown. This research aims to address this research gap by characterising extreme heat events and their trends for Mozambique using the high- resolution remotely sensed CHIRTS-daily temperature data for 1983-2016. The results can be used for heat impact assessments and development of heat early warning system for Mozambique and other data-scarce regions

Spatio-temporal modelling of weekly malaria incidence in children under 5 for early epidemic detection in Mozambique

Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Mozambique. We present a malaria early warning system (MEWS) for Mozambique informed by seven years of weekly case reports of malaria in children under 5 years of age from 142 districts. A spatio-temporal model was developed based on explanatory climatic variables to map exceedance probabilities, defined as the predictive probability that the relative risk of malaria incidence in a given district for a particular week will exceed a predefined threshold. Unlike most spatially discrete models, our approach accounts for the geographical extent of each district in the derivation of the spatial covariance structure to allow for changes in administrative boundaries over time. The MEWS can thus be used to predict areas that may experience increases in malaria transmission beyond expected levels, early enough so that prevention and response measures can be implemented prior to the onset of outbreaks. The framework we present is also applicable to other climate-sensitive diseases

Molecular diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in Mozambique

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mozambique is one of the countries with the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Sub-Saharan Africa, and information on the predominant genotypes of <it>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </it>circulating in the country are important to better understand the epidemic. This study determined the predominant strain lineages that cause TB in Mozambique.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 445 <it>M. tuberculosis </it>isolates from seven different provinces of Mozambique were characterized by spoligotyping and resulting profiles were compared with the international spoligotyping database SITVIT2.</p> <p>The four most predominant lineages observed were: the Latin-American Mediterranean (LAM, n = 165 or 37%); the East African-Indian (EAI, n = 132 or 29.7%); an evolutionary recent but yet ill-defined T clade, (n = 52 or 11.6%); and the globally-emerging Beijing clone, (n = 31 or 7%). A high spoligotype diversity was found for the EAI, LAM and T lineages.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The TB epidemic in Mozambique is caused by a wide diversity of spoligotypes with predominance of LAM, EAI, T and Beijing lineages.</p

Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of the Essential Oil from Leaves of Moringa oleifera Lam. Cultivated in Mozambique

The antioxidant capacity and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) grown in Mozambique was investigated. The chemical composition was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analysis. Hexacosane (13.9%), pentacosane (13.3%) and heptacosane (11.4%) were the main components. Ultra High Performance Chromatography-DAD analysis detected the flavonoids quercetin (126 μg/g) and luteolin (6.2 μg/g). The essential oil exhibited a relatively low free radical scavenging capacity. The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil was assayed against two Gram-positive strains (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus), two Gram-negative strains (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and five fungal strains of agro-food interest (Penicillium aurantiogriseum, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium citrinum, Penicillium digitatum, and Aspergillus niger spp.). B. cereus and P. aeruginosa, as well as the fungal strains were sensitive to the essential oil

Valuation of Plastic Waste as a Community Circular Economy Strategy in the Municipality of Choco–Colombia

A business solution is proposed for the accumulation of waste in the Municipality of Choco without prior treatment through the establishment of a center for the reception, classification, recovery and use of solid plastic waste in the Municipality of Quibdo, which would optimize and expand the management of plastic waste. In this study, the basic diagnosis of the practices that are currently carried out in Quibdo is evaluated with the appropriation of the knowledge of the population, the technical structuring of the conditions of production of plastic wood is carried out from the management of plastic waste, recognition of the market for waste generated as an alternative for development and sustainable growth and the financial feasibility of the project and the profitability of each of the investment plans for its implementation. The results of the investigation include the identification of weaknesses and opportunities in waste management practices and the proposal of two investment plans for the establishment of the center. It is concluded that investment plan 2 would require 46,590.50 USD less than investment plan 1, equivalent to a 2.21% return compared to investment plan 1

Heatwaves in Mozambique 1983–2016: Characteristics, trends and city-level summaries using high-resolution CHIRTS-daily

The intensity, frequency, and duration of heatwaves are increasing worldwide. Still, heatwaves are systematically underreported and underresearched across the African continent. This study examines heatwaves across Mozambique, a country highly vulnerable to a variety of climate risks yet where heatwaves have received little to no attention. A spatio-temporal analysis was conducted for five heatwave characteristics (heatwave number, frequency, duration, amplitude, and magnitude) and corresponding trends from 1983 to 2016. This was done using the remotely sensed CHIRTS-daily, which presents one of the most accurate and highest resolution (5 × 5 km) daily temperature product currently available, especially for data-scarce regions. Three heatwave definitions were analyzed and compared, which are based on (1) the 90th percentile of daily maximum temperature (TX90), (2) the 90th percentile of daily minimum temperature (TN90), and (3) the Excess Heat Factor (EHF). Results were overlayed with high-resolution population data to obtain heatwave exposure and likely potential implications. Our findings show that Mozambique has experienced many heatwaves over the past decades. On average, 2–18.6 annual heatwave days (HWF) were recorded with the longest heatwaves (HWD) lasting X- 11.5 days. More and longer heatwaves were observed in the North and along the coast of Mozambique. Heatwave magnitude (HWM) ranged from 0.3 to 6.8 °C and amplitude (HWA) from 0.8 to 11.7 °C, with highest values in South and Central Mozambique. Heatwave events, days, and duration were found to be significantly increasing (

Association between Precipitation and Diarrheal Disease in Mozambique

Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa. Although research documents the magnitude and pattern of diarrheal diseases are associated with weather in particular locations, there is limited quantification of this association in sub-Saharan Africa and no studies conducted in Mozambique. Our study aimed to determine whether variation in diarrheal disease was associated with precipitation in Mozambique. In secondary analyses we investigated the associations between temperature and diarrheal disease. We obtained weekly time series data for weather and diarrheal disease aggregated at the administrative district level for 1997–2014. Weather data include modeled estimates of precipitation and temperature. Diarrheal disease counts are confirmed clinical episodes reported to the Mozambique Ministry of Health (n = 7,315,738). We estimated the association between disease counts and precipitation, defined as the number of wet days (precipitation &gt; 1 mm) per week, for the entire country and for Mozambique’s four regions. We conducted time series regression analyses using an unconstrained distributed lag Poisson model adjusted for time, maximum temperature, and district. Temperature was similarly estimated with adjusted covariates. Using a four-week lag, chosen a priori, precipitation was associated with diarrheal disease. One additional wet day per week was associated with a 1.86% (95% CI: 1.05–2.67%), 1.37% (95% CI: 0.70–2.04%), 2.09% (95% CI: 1.01–3.18%), and 0.63% (95% CI: 0.11–1.14%) increase in diarrheal disease in Mozambique’s northern, central, southern, and coastal regions, respectively. Our study indicates a strong association between diarrheal disease and precipitation. Diarrheal disease prevention efforts should target areas forecast to experience increased rainfall. The burden of diarrheal disease may increase with increased precipitation associated with climate change, unless additional health system interventions are undertaken

Extreme heat alerts and impacts across Mozambique 2016 - 2022: Gathering evidence from media articles

Heatwaves are increasing around the world and cause a range of devastating societal impacts. Effective communication during a heatwave enables the general public to prepare and, if possible, take the necessary actions. In many African countries, the recognition of heatwaves and appropriate action to reduce heat risk remains absent. In this study, extreme heat and heat-related impacts across Mozambique were analyzed across space and time by using text from media sources. Alerts were obtained by performing a broad word search across four popular media outlets (Club of Mozambique, Rádio Moçambique, O País, and Televisão de Moçambique). Between 2016 and 2022, 79 heat alerts and 12 posts on impacts were found. When mapped, a disproportionate number of articles were found for Southern provinces compared to Northern provinces. Communication of heat alerts were consistent across media outlets and included the maximum temperature forecasted and geographic locations affected. A majority of the messages (91%) did not include information on how to respond and the type of actions to take to reduce risk. Our findings provide spatio-temporal insights into extreme heat and impacts, and highlight the urgent need for an improved heatwave early warning system across Mozambique