Knowledge, beliefs and attitude towards malaria control and prevention among students in tertiary institutions in the Gambia

BACKGROUNDEven though Malaria caused by five parasite species, two of which – Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax is preventable, curable and treatable, it continues to pose a significant health threat to many communities around the world. Particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, The Gambia is one of the African countries that has seen a significant reduction in malaria cases. Malaria cases in The Gambia had decreased gradually from 346.9 per 100,000 persons in 2004 to 66 per 100,000 people in 2018. The fight against malaria is great progress for the future. AIMThis study aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice of students attending tertiary institutions in The Gambia in regard to Malaria prevention and control. METHODOLOGYFrom May to June 2021, a standardized pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from 431 students in four public institutions in The Gambia. The University of The Gambia (UTG) Brikama Campus, The Gambia College-Brikama Campus, Management Development Institution (MDI) and The Gambia Technical Training Institution (GTTI. Respondents were chosen using a random sampling approach of students who were found on campuses and consented to participate. Sample size was determined using the formula described by Thrusfield (2007) based on a 95% confidence interval. It was first entered into excel and then exported to SPSS version 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill., USA) for data analyses. RESULTThe aetiology, symptoms and therapy of malaria were all well-understood by the respondents. Age (P-value=0.005) and program of study (P-value=0.014) were highly significant with students’ knowledge on the mode of transmission of malaria as for students belief of the disease. Institution of learning Odd ratio (1.385, P value=0.003) was the only factor which affected students perception of malaria. Gender (Odd ratio=2.491, P-value=0.005) and the institution of learning (Odd ratio=1.506, P-value=0.003) were factors which had a high statistical significance with students practice of sleep under an ITNs. CONCLUSIONThis study reported a high level of knowledge, poor attitude and practice towards malaria control interventions among students attending tertiary institutions in The Gambia. Students from the UTG and GTTI showed a better positive knowledge than those from the other participants. Their curriculum studies and social activities (individual students’ unions) exposed them to a higher level of awareness. RECOMMENDATIONSHealth-related programs on malaria prevention and control should be organized to raise awareness in through television and radio or any other media. Health education should be a compulsory topic or module in institutions

Long-term protection against HBV chronic carriage of Gambian adolescents vaccinated in infancy and immune response in HBV booster trial in adolescence.

BACKGROUND: Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) arising in childhood is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in adult life. Between 1986 and 1990, approximately 120,000 Gambian newborns were enrolled in a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of infant HBV vaccination on the prevention of hepatocellular carcinoma in adulthood. These children are now in adolescence and approaching adulthood, when the onset of sexual activity may challenge their hepatitis B immunity. Thus a booster dose in adolescence could be important to maintain long-term protection. METHODS: Fifteen years after the start of the HBV infant vaccination study, 492 vaccinated and 424 unvaccinated children were identified to determine vaccine efficacy against infection and carriage in adolescence. At the same time, 297 of the 492 infant-vaccinated subjects were randomly offered a booster dose of HBV vaccine. Anti-HBs was measured before the booster, and two weeks and 1 year afterwards (ISRCTN71271385). RESULTS: Vaccine efficacy 15 years after vaccination was 67.0% against infection as manifest by anti-HBc positivity (95% CI 58.2-74.6%), and 96.6% against HBsAg carriage (95% CI 91.5-100%). 31.2% of participants had detectable anti-HBs with a GMC of 32 IU/l. For 168 boosted participants GMC anti-HBs responses were 38 IU/l prior to vaccination, 524 IU/l two weeks after boosting, and 101 IU/l after 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: HBV vaccination in infants confers very good protection against carriage up to 15 years of age, although a large proportion of vaccinated subjects did not have detectable anti-HBs at this age. The response to boosting persisted for at least a year. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN71271385

Aflatoxin Exposure and Viral Hepatitis in the Etiology of Liver Cirrhosis in The Gambia, West Africa

BACKGROUND: Cirrhosis of the liver is thought to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, but few controlled studies on the etiology of cirrhosis have been conducted in this region. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to elucidate the association between environmental and infectious exposures and cirrhosis in The Gambia. METHODS: Ninety-seven individuals were diagnosed with cirrhosis using a validated ultrasound scoring system and were compared with 397 controls. Participants reported demographic and food frequency information. Blood samples were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg), hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody, HCV RNA, and the aflatoxin-associated 249(ser) TP53 mutation. RESULTS: HBsAg seropositivity was associated with a significant increase in risk of cirrhosis [odds ratio (OR) = 8.0; 95% confidence interval (CI), 4.4-14.7] as was the presence of HBeAg (OR = 10.3; 95% CI, 2.0-53.9) and HCV infection (OR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.2-9.5). We present novel data that exposure to aflatoxin, as assessed both by high lifetime groundnut (peanut) intake and by the presence of the 249(ser) TP53 mutation in plasma, is associated with a significant increase in the risk for cirrhosis (OR = 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1-7.7 and OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.5-9.6, respectively). Additionally, aflatoxin and hepatitis B virus exposure appeared to interact synergistically to substantially increase the risk of cirrhosis, although this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the spectrum of morbidity associated with aflatoxin exposure could include cirrhosis

Seasonal Variation in TP53 R249S-Mutated Serum DNA with Aflatoxin Exposure and Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) exposure are etiological factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in countries with hot, humid climates. HCC often harbors a TP53 (tumor protein p53) mutation at codon 249 (R249S). In chronic carriers, 1762T/1764A mutations in the HBV X gene are associated with increased HCC risk. Both mutations have been detected in circulating cell-free DNA (CFDNA) from asymptomatic HBV carriers

Awareness of the causes, impact and solutions to global warming among undergraduate students from different schools in the University of The Gambia

Climate Change is unequivocal and occurring at an alarming pace. Increasing greenhouse gas emissions, their concentration in the atmosphere and increased energy absorption have resulted in in changes in climate. This study was a cross sectional study conducted from April 12th to May 12th, 2021. The survey was conducted online using Google form that was circulated via "WhatsApp" groups and emails received from the University admissions office. This study comprises of students in their; first year 26.5%, second year 22.8%, third year 17.9% and fourth-year students 32.8%. Students from the school of Medicine and allied health science showed a satisfactory knowledge of 67% towards the causes of global warming. Students from the school of Engineering also demonstrated a satisfactory knowledge towards the impact of global warming 61% and its solution 69%. In conclusion, students at the University of The Gambia demonstrated a satisfactory understanding of the causes of global warming (63%) and a fair awareness of the consequences (52%) and remedies to global warming (54%). We recommend that, climate change awareness course should be incorporated into the curriculum of the University of The Gambia and should be made mandatory for every student

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Gambians towards the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in The Gambia: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: The on-going global health threat of the respiratory disease recently named by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in December 2019 has spread across many parts of the world [1]. Reaching the African continent through travellers returning from hotspots in Asia, Europe, and the United States, Africa’s first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on the 14th of February, 2020. Since then, it has spread across many countries in the African continent. Nigeria reported the first COVID-19 case on the 28th of February, 2020 making it the first confirmed case in sub-Saharan Africa. In The Gambia, the first suspected COVID-19 case was reported on the 15th March 2020 involving a 28-year-old Gambian female arriving from London, UK. This article, aims at shedding light onthe peoples’ knowledge, attitude, and practices towards COVID-19 in The Gambia.Materials and Methods: This study was a cross sectional web-based survey, conducted among the general population of residents (aged 18 years and above) in The Gambia from August 24, 2020 to October 10, 2020. Four hundred and twenty-eight residents of The Gambia were asked 27 questions regarding their knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) towards COVID-19.Results: Among a total of 428 participants, the overall achieved score regarding COVID-19 knowledge towards the disease was 75.86%. Also, an overall score of 72% showed a positive attitude regarding the knowledge of the mode of transmission and groups at higher risk of COVID-19. There was no significant difference in mean knowledge, attitude and practice scores with respect to other demographic  variables, but, it is worth mentioning that sufficient COVID-19 knowledge scores, positive attitude, and adequate practice were found among the respondents. The multiple logistic regression results revealed two demographic factors i.e. qualification and occupation had association with knowledge towards COVID-19.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that The Gambian population showed decent knowledge, appropriate practice, and positive attitude towards COVID-19 even though the government needs to do more in terms of COVID-19 education. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, The Gambia, Novel, Coronavirus&nbsp

Rice growers, hunters and fishermen perception of hippopotamus activities across Central River Region (CRR) of the Gambia: implication for their conservation

The aim of the study is to investigate the types of damages caused by hippopotamus and control methods adapted by farmers in order to facilitate co-existence between hippopotamus and humans. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in March 2021 to assess the activities of Hippopotami across CRR of The Gambia using 252 standardized questionnaire and two Focal Group Discussions (FGDs). About 96% of respondents reported that they have seen hippos before in their communities and 98% of them also said that hippos have been raiding their communities for food for the past 10 years. Majority of the respondents reported that hippos have affected them before and 93% of them said that there was no help from the government when these animals attacked or destroyed their crops/fishing nets. However, 11% of the respondents reported that, hippos are not important to be conserved. The multinomial logistic regression result shows that, the young active, adult active and respondents from Janjanbureh had a positive belief about the importance of conserving hippos

Dynamique et usages de la mangrove dans les pays des rivières du Sud, du Sénégal à la Sierra Leone

La mangrove est un objet de recherche privilégié. C'est aussi l’objet d'enjeux politiques, économiques et sociaux. Cet ouvrage fait la synthèse de nombreux travaux pluridisciplinaires sur cet écosystème riche et complexe