Student Satisfaction with Hostel facilities: A Case Study of Njala University, Njala Campus, Sierra Leone

Aim and Scope: The importance of students' social environments in their day-to-day lives cannot be overstated. The extent to which students are happy in their hostel depends on its facilities' availability, adequacy, and functionality. A case study of Njala University, Njala campus, was used to determine the amenities provided and the level of satisfaction the students derived from those amenities. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the research through in-field observations and a standardized questionnaire. The study's sample size was estimated at 482 total students. SPSS version 26.0 was used for the data analysis. Result: The study revealed that 82.0% of the respondents were within the age group 20-29 years, and more than two-thirds (70.7%) of the respondents were living in overcrowded rooms with a population of more than the required number of persons per room; this is attributed to the squatting phenomenon among the hostel occupants with the attendant implications of increasing pressure on the available facilities. Equally, students were reasonably satisfied with hostel facilities such as recreational grounds, security status, Library/ICT, waste management and electricity. Results showed respondents were unhappy with the adequacy and performance of certain facilities such as the drainage system, foam, toilet, water supply, kitchen, room size, laundry, and firefighting device. Conclusion: For student convenience, as enrollment continues to rise, the paper suggests that public-private partnerships be established to fund the construction of other hostels with updated designs and amenities

Student Satisfaction with Hostel facilities: A Case Study of Njala University, Njala Campus, Sierra Leone

Aim and Scope: The importance of students' social environments in their day-to-day lives cannot be overstated. The extent to which students are happy in their hostel depends on its facilities' availability, adequacy, and functionality. A case study of Njala University, Njala campus, was used to determine the amenities provided and the level of satisfaction the students derived from those amenities. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the research through in-field observations and a standardized questionnaire. The study's sample size was estimated at 482 total students. SPSS version 26.0 was used for the data analysis. Result: The study revealed that 82.0% of the respondents were within the age group 20-29 years, and more than two-thirds (70.7%) of the respondents were living in overcrowded rooms with a population of more than the required number of persons per room; this is attributed to the squatting phenomenon among the hostel occupants with the attendant implications of increasing pressure on the available facilities. Equally, students were reasonably satisfied with hostel facilities such as recreational grounds, security status, Library/ICT, waste management and electricity. Results showed respondents were unhappy with the adequacy and performance of certain facilities such as the drainage system, foam, toilet, water supply, kitchen, room size, laundry, and firefighting device. Conclusion: For student convenience, as enrollment continues to rise, the paper suggests that public-private partnerships be established to fund the construction of other hostels with updated designs and amenities

Student Satisfaction with Hostel Facilities: A Case Study of Njala University, Njala Campus, Sierra Leone

Aim and Scope: The importance of students' social environments intheir day-to-day lives cannot be overstated. The extent to which students arehappy in their hostel depends on its facilities' availability, adequacy, andfunctionality. A case study of Njala University, Njala campus, was used todetermine the amenities provided and the level of satisfaction the students derived from those amenities. Methods: A cross-sectional research designwas used to conduct the research through a close-ended questionnaire. Thestudy's sample size was 482 students. SPSS version 26.0 was used for the dataanalysis. Result: Most (82.0%) of the respondents were within the age group20-29 years, and more than two-thirds (70.7%) were living in overcrowdedrooms with double the number than the room was designed for.; this isattributed to the common phenomenon of students who get a place sub-lettingto their less fortunate colleagues on a cost-sharing basis. Overcrowding hasimplications of increasing pressure on the available facilities. Students werereasonably satisfied with hostel facilities such as recreational grounds, securitystatus, Library/ICT, waste management, and electricity, but very dissatisfiedwith the drainage system, state of mattresses, toilet facilities, water supply,kitchen, room size, laundry, and lack of firefighting devices. Conclusion :Students are dissatisfied with current facilities as enrollment continues to risefaster than Government intervention the paper suggests that a public-privatepartnership be established to fund the construction of other hostels withupdated designs and amenities

Isolation of Angola-like Marburg virus from Egyptian rousette bats from West Africa.

Marburg virus (MARV) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe Marburg virus disease (MVD). Most MVD outbreaks originated in East Africa and field studies in East Africa, South Africa, Zambia, and Gabon identified the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. However, the largest recorded MVD outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in Angola, where direct spillover from bats was not  shown. Here, collaborative studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Njala University, University of California, Davis USAID-PREDICT, and the University of Makeni identify MARV circulating in ERBs in Sierra Leone. PCR, antibody and virus isolation data from 1755 bats of 42 species shows active MARV infection in approximately 2.5% of ERBs. Phylogenetic analysis identifies MARVs that are similar to the Angola strain. These results provide evidence of MARV circulation in West Africa and demonstrate the value of pathogen surveillance to identify previously undetected threats

Safety and immunogenicity of an Ad26.ZEBOV booster dose in children previously vaccinated with the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen: an open-label, non-randomised, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: Children account for a substantial proportion of cases and deaths during Ebola virus disease outbreaks. We aimed to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a booster dose of the Ad26.ZEBOV vaccine in children who had been vaccinated with a two-dose regimen comprising Ad26.ZEBOV as dose one and MVA-BN-Filo as dose two. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, non-randomised, phase 2 trial at one clinic in Kambia Town, Sierra Leone. Healthy children, excluding pregnant or breastfeeding girls, who had received the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen in a previous study, and were aged 1-11 years at the time of their first vaccine dose, received an intramuscular injection of Ad26.ZEBOV (5 × 1010 viral particles) and were followed up for 28 days. Primary outcomes were safety (measured by adverse events) and immunogenicity (measured by Ebola virus glycoprotein-specific IgG binding antibody geometric mean concentration) of the booster vaccine dose. Safety was assessed in all participants who received the booster vaccination; immunogenicity was assessed in all participants who received the booster vaccination, had at least one evaluable sample after the booster, and had no major protocol deviations that could have influenced the immune response. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04711356. FINDINGS: Between July 8 and Aug 18, 2021, 58 children were assessed for eligibility and 50 (27 aged 4-7 years and 23 aged 9-15 years) were enrolled and received an Ad26.ZEBOV booster vaccination, more than 3 years after receiving dose one of the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen. The booster was well tolerated. The most common solicited local adverse event during the 7 days after vaccination was injection site pain, reported in 18 (36%, 95% CI 23-51) of 50 participants. The most common solicited systemic adverse event during the 7 days after vaccination was headache, reported in 11 (22%, 12-36) of 50 participants. Malaria was the most common unsolicited adverse event during the 28 days after vaccination, reported in 25 (50%, 36-64) of 50 participants. No serious adverse events were observed during the study period. 7 days after vaccination, the Ebola virus glycoprotein-specific IgG binding antibody geometric mean concentration was 28 561 ELISA units per mL (95% CI 20 255-40 272), which was 44 times higher than the geometric mean concentration before the booster dose. 21 days after vaccination, the geometric mean concentration reached 64 690 ELISA units per mL (95% CI 48 356-86 541), which was 101 times higher than the geometric mean concentration before the booster dose. INTERPRETATION: A booster dose of Ad26.ZEBOV in children who had received the two-dose Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen more than 3 years earlier was well tolerated and induced a rapid and robust increase in binding antibodies against Ebola virus. These findings could inform Ebola vaccination strategies in paediatric populations. FUNDING: Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking. TRANSLATION: For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section

Using photovoice methodology to uncover individual-level, health systems, and contextual barriers to uptake of second dose of measles containing vaccine in Western Area Urban, Sierra Leone, 2020

Background: Vaccination coverage for the second dose of the measles-containing vaccine (MCV2) among children has remained stagnant in Sierra Leone at nearly 67% since its introduction in 2015. Identifying community-specific barriers faced by caregivers in accessing MCV2 services for their children and by health workers in delivering MCV2 is key to informing strategies to improve vaccination coverage. Methods: We used Photovoice, a participatory method using photographs and narratives to understand community barriers to MCV2 uptake from March- September 2020. Six female and five male caregivers of MCV2-eligible children (15–24 months of age), and six health care workers (HCWs) in Freetown, Sierra Leone participated. After having an orientation to photovoice, they photographed barriers related to general immunization and MCV2 uptake in their community. This was followed by facilitated discussions where participants elaborated on the barriers captured in the photos. Transcripts from the six immunization-related discussions were analyzed to deduce themes through open-ended coding. A photo exhibition was held for participants to discuss the barriers and suggested solutions with decision-makers, such as the ministry of health. Results: We identified and categorized nine themes into three groups: 1) individual or caregiver level barriers (e.g., caregivers’ lack of knowledge on MCV2, concerns about vaccine side effects, and gender-related barriers); 2) health system barriers, such as HCWs’ focus on children below one year and usage of old child health cards; and 3) contextual barriers, such as poverty, poor infrastructure, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants suggested the decision-makers to enhance community engagement with caregivers and HCW capacity including, increasing accountability of their work using performance-based approaches, among different strategies to improve MCV2 uptake. Conclusion: Photovoice can provide nuanced understanding of community issues affecting MCV2. As a methodology, it should be integrated in broader intervention planning activities to facilitate the translation of community-suggested strategies into action

Isolation of Angola-like Marburg virus from Egyptian rousette bats from West Africa.

Marburg virus (MARV) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe Marburg virus disease (MVD). Most MVD outbreaks originated in East Africa and field studies in East Africa, South Africa, Zambia, and Gabon identified the Egyptian rousette bat (ERB; Rousettus aegyptiacus) as a natural reservoir. However, the largest recorded MVD outbreak with the highest case-fatality ratio happened in 2005 in Angola, where direct spillover from bats was not  shown. Here, collaborative studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Njala University, University of California, Davis USAID-PREDICT, and the University of Makeni identify MARV circulating in ERBs in Sierra Leone. PCR, antibody and virus isolation data from 1755 bats of 42 species shows active MARV infection in approximately 2.5% of ERBs. Phylogenetic analysis identifies MARVs that are similar to the Angola strain. These results provide evidence of MARV circulation in West Africa and demonstrate the value of pathogen surveillance to identify previously undetected threats