Knowledge and practices related to sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age living in Katanga slum, Kampala, Uganda.

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) still stand as one of the commonest health problems affecting women of reproductive age. The knowledge and practices of STIs, among susceptible populations such as women of reproductive age, living in slums like Katanga in Kampala Uganda need to be established. Methods: This was a cross- sectional study with 339 participants in Katanga slum. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire, entered and analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Data was summarized using frequencies for categorical data and medians for continuous data. Results: Majority of the participants (71.9%) were 6525years with a mean age of 28.0(SD \ub17.0) years. The commonest symptoms known to the participants were genital itching (60%) and genital rash (14.5%). Most mentioned multiple partners (63.7%) and unprotected sex (50.7%) as predisposing factors to STIs. Knowledge on methods of prevention was high (92.3%) however, 18.8% were found positive for STIs using the syndromic approach and 82% mentioned having suffered from STIs in the past 6 months more than once. Conclusion: Most participants did not know about the systemic effects of STIs to their health and did not follow the appropriate behavior patterns despite being knowledgeable about the various methods of prevention of STIs

The accuracy of a mobile phone application (Wulira app) compared to standard audiometry in assessing hearing loss among patients on treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Uganda

Objectives: Our aim was to validate the “Wulira App” a mHealth application against gold standard audiometry as a pragmatic audiometry solution for under-served and vulnerable groups of patients at risk of hearing loss. The specific objectives were as follows:1) To compare hearing thresholds determined using the Wulira app to standard pure tone audiometry among patients on MDR-TB treatment.2) To determine the correlation between the measured hearing loss with the Wulira app and standard audiometry with patient reported hearing loss.3) To determine the proportion of patients on MDR-TB treatment that experience hearing loss?Materials and Methods: We consecutively recruited patients ≥18 years old and receiving kanamycin in their treatment regimen between February and June 2019 for this study. Clinical and demographic data were obtained from each participant and documented in a secure database. Participants had hearing assessment performed once at enrolment with paired standard audiometry and the Wulira mobile phone app in a soundproof room.Results: A total of 120 MDR-TB patients with a mean age of 34.0 (±9.6) years were recruited for this study and 69 (57.5%) were male. When compared to pure tone audiometry, the Wulira app was able to correctly detect 91.4% hearing loss in right ear and 88.4% in the left ear. The specificity of the Wulira app was equally high, reaching 93.2% in the right ear and 91.5% in the left ear.Conclusion: The Wulira app may be a useful alternative home-based tool for hearing assessment in MDR-TB patients, essentially for early detection of hearing loss following commencement of second-line injectable drugs

Knowledge and practices related to sexually transmitted infections among women of reproductive age living in Katanga slum, Kampala, Uganda

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) still stand as one of the commonest health problems affecting women of reproductive age. The knowledge and practices of STIs, among susceptible populations such as women of reproductive age, living in slums like Katanga in Kampala Uganda need to be established. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with 339 participants in Katanga slum. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire, entered and analysed using SPSS version 17.0. Data was summarized using frequencies for categorical data and medians for continuous data. RESULTS: Majority of the participants (71.9%) were ≥25years with a mean age of 28.0(SD ±7.0) years. The commonest symptoms known to the participants were genital itching (60%) and genital rash (14.5%). Most mentioned multiple partners (63.7%) and unprotected sex (50.7%) as predisposing factors to STIs. Knowledge on methods of prevention was high (92.3%) however, 18.8% were found positive for STIs using the syndromic approach and 82% mentioned having suffered from STIs in the past 6 months more than once. CONCLUSION: Most participants did not know about the systemic effects of STIs to their health and didnot follow the appropriate behavior patterns despite being knowledgeable about the various methods of prevention of STIs

Evaluating repellence properties of catnip essential oil against the mosquito species Aedes aegypti using a Y-tube olfactometer

The mosquito species Aedes aegypti (L.) is known to act as a vector in the transmission of various diseases, including dengue fever and yellow fever. The use of insect repellents is one of precautionary measures used to mitigate the risk of these diseases in humans by reducing mosquito biting. Nepetalactone, a potent natural insect repellent primarily found in catnip (Nepeta cataria) essential oil, has emerged as a promising candidate for mosquito repellence. Here, we evaluated the potential of catnip essential oil (> 95% nepetalactone) for use as a mosquito repellent. Using a Y-tube olfactometer and human hands as an attractant, we analysed the effectiveness of catnip oil at repelling the mosquito species Aedes aegypti. We tested a range of dilutions of catnip essential oil and found that concentrations as low as 2% were effective at repelling > 70% of mosquitoes for between one and four hours after repellent application. These findings suggest that nepetalactone could potentially be used as a natural, effective alternative to synthetic mosquito repellents, thereby offering protection against vector-borne diseases

Male gender and duration of anti-tuberculosis treatment are associated with hypocholesterolemia in adult pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Kampala, Uganda

Background: Patients with Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and hypocholesterolemia have an altered immune function, delayed sputum conversion at two months and increased mortality. However, the assessment for dyslipidemias is not often done in our setting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults at an urban TB clinic in Kampala, Uganda. We included different participants at diagnosis (0), 2, 5, 6 and 8 months of anti-TB treatment. Data was collected from a complete physical examination, a pre-tested structured questionnaire, six-hour fasting lipid profiles and random blood glucose levels. Results: Of the 323 included participants, 63.5% (205/323) were males and the median age was 30 years, IQR (23-39). The prevalence of hypocholesterolemia was 43.65% (95% CI 38.3-49.2). The participants at diagnosis had the highest hypocholesterolemia prevalence, 57.3%, 95% CI (46.7-67.2); and lowest amongst those completing treatment at 6/8 months, 32.2%, 95% CI (21.6-45.2). Significant factors associated with hypocholesterolemia were: male gender (PR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.13-2.03), and duration of anti-TB treatment (0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.98). Conclusion: Hypocholesterolemia is common among patients with PTB. The risk of hypocholesterolemia increases with being male and reduces with increased duration of treatment. There is a need for further research in lipid abnormalities in TB patients

Hyperglycemia in severe traumatic brain injury patients and its association with thirty-day mortality: a prospective observational cohort study in Uganda

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a growing public health concern that can be complicated with an acute stress response. This response may be assessed by monitoring blood glucose levels but this is not routine in remote settings. There is a paucity of data on the prevalence of hyperglycemia and variables associated with mortality after severe TBI in Uganda.Objective: We aimed to determine the prevalence of hyperglycemia in patients with severe TBI and variables associated with 30-day mortality at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda.Methods: We consecutively enrolled a cohort 99 patients patients with severe TBI. Serum glucose levels were measured at admission and after 24 h. Other study variables included: mechanism of injury, CT findings, location and size of hematoma, and socio-demographics. The main outcome was mortality after 30 days of management and this was compared in patients with hyperglycemia more than 11.1 mmol/L to those without.Results: Most patients (92.9%) were male aged 18-30 years (47%). Road Traffic Collisions were the most common cause of severe TBI (64.7%) followed by assault (17.1%) and falls (8.1%). Nearly one in six patients were admitted with hyperglycemia more than 11.1 mmol/L. The mortality rate in severe TBI patients with hyperglycemia was 68.8% (OR 1.47; 95% CI [0.236-9.153]; P = 0.063) against 43.7% in those without hyperglycemia. The presence of hypothermia (OR 10.17; 95% CI [1.574-65.669]; P = 0.015) and convulsions (OR 5.64; 95% CI [1.541-19.554]; P = 0.009) were significant predictors of mortality.Conclusion: Hypothermia and convulsions at admission were major predictors of mortality in severe TBI. Early hyperglycemia following severe TBI appears to occur with a tendency towards high mortality. These findings justify routine glucose monitoring and could form the basis for establishing a blood sugar control protocol for such patients in remote settings

Increasing African genomic data generation and sharing to resolve rare and undiagnosed diseases in Africa: a call-to-action by the H3Africa rare diseases working group

The rich and diverse genomics of African populations is significantly underrepresented in reference and in disease-associated databases. This renders interpreting the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) data and reaching a diagnostic more difficult in Africa and for the African diaspora. It increases chances for false positives with variants being misclassified as pathogenic due to their novelty or rarity. We can increase African genomic data by (1) making consent for sharing aggregate frequency data an essential component of research toolkit; (2) encouraging investigators with African data to share available data through public resources such as gnomAD, AVGD, ClinVar, DECIPHER and to use MatchMaker Exchange; (3) educating African research participants on the meaning and value of sharing aggregate frequency data; and (4) increasing funding to scale-up the production of African genomic data that will be more representative of the geographical and ethno-linguistic variation on the continent. The RDWG of H3Africa is hereby calling to action because this underrepresentation accentuates the health disparities. Applying the NGS to shorten the diagnostic odyssey or to guide therapeutic options for rare diseases will fully work for Africans only when public repositories include sufficient data from African subjects

HOW TO ENGAGE A COMMUNITY AND IMPROVE CHILDREN'S ORAL HEALTH

Background: Globally, gingivitis (gum inflammation) and dental caries (tooth decay) have a negative impact on the health and quality of life of children. Those from disadvantaged populations suffer disproportionally from poor oral health, yet much of the pathology and associated pain and suffering is preventable if children are taught simple and inexpensive practices that can improve their oral health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for more programs to improve children’s oral healthworldwide. Aims: To summarize how readily implemented school-based programs can provide knowledge and teach health practices that promote behaviors that can enable children to improve their oral health through better hygiene and a reduced incidence of gum disease and caries. Results: The WHO Health Promoting School (HPS) program model is well suited to address poor oral health. The model begins with community dialogue to establish understanding of the cause, adverse effects and approaches to prevention. Next teachers are helped to establish, sustain and evaluate an intervention in the local school. Intervention is based on the two core components of WHO HPS programs; first, teachers add health-related curriculum and visual aid production to classroom activities, and second, opportunities are added for children to participate in health-related practices while at school, for example tooth brushing or tooth stick sessions to clean their teeth after the lunch break. Conclusions: Poor oral health is an example of a worldwide public health issue of central importance to children where school-based intervention has been shown to have benefits, through changes in behaviors achieved through teaching a combination of simple factual knowledge and inexpensive health practices. &nbsp

The UN Sustainable Development Goals; using WHO ‘Health Promoting Schools’ to create change.

Not required for photo essa

The UN Sustainable Development Goals; using World Health Organization’s ‘Health Promoting Schools’ to create change

Not required Accepted: 23 May 201