The nature and effect of section 56 of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and the uncertainties surrounding it.

Master of Laws in Business Law. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.Consumer protection is a global phenomenon and has seen many countries enact legislation in an attempt to protect consumers from exploitation. Consumers have been exploited in a number of ways, one of which is the sale of defective products which often result in serious consequences such as injury or death. In a bid to protect the consumer, South Africa enacted the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008. The CPA introduced the consumer’s rights to safe, good quality goods (section 55) and the implied warranty of quality (section 56). The study is aimed at evaluating the above mentioned sections with the intention of highlighting areas of uncertainty and, where legislative gaps exist, making recommendations on how these provisions could be interpreted, extended and modified to sufficiently protect all interested parties. Currently, the CPA provisions lack specific standards of conformity for products, particularly relating to quality. Of particular interest to the study is the choice of remedies given solely to the consumer in the event of breach of warranty of quality. As a secondary issue, the study also analyses the treatment of minor defects and the position of the voetstoots clause in light of the CPA, which is questionable. The study makes comparative analyses of consumer protection legislation in specific legal systems with the aim of developing suitable solutions to improve the specified provisions of the CPA. The legal jurisdictions that are considered are namely the United Kingdom (UK), other EU member states and the United States of America (USA). It is hoped that the submissions made will be considered, that decisive statutory reforms will be made with the intent of narrowing the legislative gaps and move the CPA in a more progressive direction ultimately granting consumers the same or similar protection as its international counterparts

Establishing the College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa – The Regional East Central and Southern Africa College of Pathology

Sayed S, Mutasa R, Kaaya E, et al. Establishing the College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa – The Regional East Central and Southern Africa College of Pathology. Afr J Lab Med. 2020;9(1)The scarcity of pathologists in sub-Saharan Africa is a well established fact that is attributable to few training programmes in the region; this is further compounded by the lack of harmonised curricula, training and exams within and without member countries. Description of the intervention: Through the Association of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa, the College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (COPECSA) was formed with the clear-cut goal of establishing a regional and internationally recognised college to support and inform good quality medical and laboratory practice by promoting leadership, mentorship and excellence in the safe practice of pathology through training, exams, accreditation, advocacy and professional development for health. Lessons learnt: Since its inception in 2010, COPECSA has conferred fellowships to 120 practising pathologists in the East, Central and Southern Africa in partnership with international organisations; the college has been awarded five competitive grants and conducted several quality improvement workshops. Recommendations: This paper describes the journey that COPECSA has made towards standardising the practice and training of pathology in the East Central and Southern Africa region

Does 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid induce flowering in sweet potato?

Most sweet potato cultivars grown in Zimbabwe are poor in agronomic and quality traits and require improvement through breeding. However, most cultivars rarely flower yet the flowers are crucial in genetic improvements. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different levels of 2, 4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) on sweet potato flower induction. A 3*4 factorial experiment in a randomized complete block design with three replications was used. The first factor was landrace with three different landraces and the second factor was 2,4-D with four different concentrations (0, 100, 300 and 500 ppm). The 2,4-D was applied 50 days after planting. Sweet potato landraces that were sprayed with 2,4-D showed morphological and physiological disorders that included temporal drooping, petiole epinasty, stem splitting, shoot dieback and root swelling. Extensive morphological and physiological disorders were observed on landraces that were sprayed with the high levels of 2,4-D (300 and 500 ppm). However, within 30 days, all the landraces that were sprayed with 2,4-D managed to initiate buds and set flowers while the plants that were not sprayed did not flower at all. The Friedman’s tests showed no significant differences in bud and flower number among the treatment combinations used. Therefore the lowest concentration of 2,4-D (100 ppm) used in this study is probably close to the optimum concentration for flower induction in sweet potato. Although this concentration is not the actual optimum, at the moment this concentration can be used to induce flowering in sweet potato and thus allow sweet potato breeding initiatives to be launched.Key words: Sweet potato, 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, flowering, seed set

Establishing the College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa – The Regional East Central and Southern Africa College of Pathology

Issues: The scarcity of pathologists in sub-Saharan Africa is a well established fact that is attributable to few training programmes in the region; this is further compounded by the lack of harmonised curricula, training and exams within and without member countries. Description of the intervention: Through the Association of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa, the College of Pathologists of East, Central and Southern Africa (COPECSA) was formed with the clear-cut goal of establishing a regional and internationally recognised college to support and inform good quality medical and laboratory practice by promoting leadership, mentorship and excellence in the safe practice of pathology through training, exams, accreditation, advocacy and professional development for health. Lessons learnt: Since its inception in 2010, COPECSA has conferred fellowships to 120 practising pathologists in the East, Central and Southern Africa in partnership with international organisations; the college has been awarded five competitive grants and conducted several quality improvement workshops. Recommendations: This paper describes the journey that COPECSA has made towards standardising the practice and training of pathology in the East Central and Southern Africa region

Investigating Potential Associations between Cervical Procedures and HIV Acquisition

Objective. Cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) infection has been associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition in populations with a high prevalence of both infections. Procedures performed in the management of cervical dysplasia may facilitate HIV entry via mechanical injury. We sought to investigate the association between cervical procedures and incident HIV. Methods. Data on cervical cancer screening and procedures were collected in a cohort study evaluating the diaphragm for HIV prevention in 2040 women. In this secondary analysis, we investigated the association between cervical procedures and HIV acquisition. Results. Out of 2027 HIV-negative women at baseline, 199 underwent cervical procedures. Cumulative risk of HIV was 4.3% over 21 months of median followup (n = 88). Compared with women without cervical procedures, we observed no difference in HIV incidence after a cervical biopsy (RR 0.92, 95% CI 0.39–2.16), endocervical curettage (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.07–1.22), or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.30–3.30). Conclusions. In this cohort, cervical procedures were not associated with HIV incidence. This lack of association could be due to the small number of events

Dietary patterns and colorectal cancer risk in Zimbabwe: A population based case-control study

BACKGROUND: The rising incidence of colorectal cancer in sub-Saharan Africa may be partly caused by changing dietary patterns. We sought to establish the association between dietary patterns and colorectal cancer in Zimbabwe. METHODS: One hundred colorectal cancer cases and 200 community-based controls were recruited. Data were collected using a food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns derived by principal component analysis. Generalised linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between dietary patterns, participant characteristics and colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Three main dietary patterns were identified: traditional African, urbanised and processed food. The traditional African diet appeared protective against colorectal cancer (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.35; 95% Confidence Interval (CI), 0.21 – 0.58), which had no association with the urban (OR 0.68; 95% CI, 0.43–1.08), or processed food (OR 0.91; 0.58–1.41) patterns. The traditional African diet was associated with rural domicile, (OR 1.26; 95% CI, 1.00–1.59), and a low income (OR1.48; 95% CI, 1.06–2.08). The urbanised diet was associated with urban domicile (OR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.38–2.10), secondary (OR 1.30; 95% CI, 1.07–1.59) or tertiary education (OR 1.48; 95% CI, 1.11–1.97), and monthly incomes of $201–500 (OR 1.30; 95$1000/month (OR 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.15). CONCLUSION: A shift away from protective, traditional African dietary patterns may partly explain the rising incidence of colorectal cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.IS

Type-Specific Cervico-Vaginal Human Papillomavirus Infection Increases Risk of HIV Acquisition Independent of Other Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 are associated with an increased risk of HIV infection. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common STI, but little is know about its role in HIV transmission. The objective of this study was to determine whether cervico-vaginal HPV infection increases the risk of HIV acquisition in women independent of other common STIs.This prospective cohort study followed 2040 HIV-negative Zimbabwean women (average age 27 years, range 18-49 years) for a median of 21 months. Participants were tested quarterly for 29 HPV types (with L1 PCR primers) and HIV (antibody testing on blood samples with DNA or RNA PCR confirmation). HIV incidence was 2.7 per 100 woman-years. Baseline HPV prevalence was 24.5%, and the most prevalent HPV types were 58 (5.0%), 16 (4.7%), 70 (2.4%), and 18 (2.3%). In separate regression models adjusting for baseline variables (including age, high risk partner, positive test for STIs, positive HSV-2 serology and condom use), HIV acquisition was associated with having baseline prevalent infection with HPV 58 (aHR 2.13; 95% CI 1.09-4.15) or HPV 70 (aHR 2.68; 95% CI 1.08-6.66). In separate regression models adjusting for both baseline variables and time-dependent variables (including HSV-2 status, incident STIs, new sexual partner and condom use), HIV acquisition was associated with concurrent infection with any non-oncogenic HPV type (aHR 1.70; 95% CI 1.02-2.85), any oncogenic HPV type (aHR 1.96; 95% CI 1.16-3.30), HPV 31 (aHR 4.25; 95% CI 1.81-9.97) or HPV 70 (aHR 3.30; 95% CI 1.50-7.20). Detection of any oncogenic HPV type within the previous 6 months was an independent predictor of HIV acquisition, regardless of whether HPV status at the HIV acquisition visit was included (aHR 1.95; 95% CI 1.19-3.21) or excluded (aHR 1.96; 95% CI 1.02-2.85) from the analysis.Cervico-vaginal HPV infection was associated with an increased risk of HIV acquisition in women, and specific HPV types were implicated in this association. The observational nature of our study precludes establishment of causation between HPV infection and HIV acquisition. However, given the high prevalence of HPV infection in women, further investigation of the role of HPV in HIV transmission is warranted

Independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene, and improved complementary feeding, on child stunting and anaemia in rural Zimbabwe: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Child stunting reduces survival and impairs neurodevelopment. We tested the independent and combined effects of improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and improved infant and young child feeding (IYCF) on stunting and anaemia in in Zimbabwe. METHODS: We did a cluster-randomised, community-based, 2 × 2 factorial trial in two rural districts in Zimbabwe. Clusters were defined as the catchment area of between one and four village health workers employed by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care. Women were eligible for inclusion if they permanently lived in clusters and were confirmed pregnant. Clusters were randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) to standard of care (52 clusters), IYCF (20 g of a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement per day from age 6 to 18 months plus complementary feeding counselling; 53 clusters), WASH (construction of a ventilated improved pit latrine, provision of two handwashing stations, liquid soap, chlorine, and play space plus hygiene counselling; 53 clusters), or IYCF plus WASH (53 clusters). A constrained randomisation technique was used to achieve balance across the groups for 14 variables related to geography, demography, water access, and community-level sanitation coverage. Masking of participants and fieldworkers was not possible. The primary outcomes were infant length-for-age Z score and haemoglobin concentrations at 18 months of age among children born to mothers who were HIV negative during pregnancy. These outcomes were analysed in the intention-to-treat population. We estimated the effects of the interventions by comparing the two IYCF groups with the two non-IYCF groups and the two WASH groups with the two non-WASH groups, except for outcomes that had an important statistical interaction between the interventions. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01824940. FINDINGS: Between Nov 22, 2012, and March 27, 2015, 5280 pregnant women were enrolled from 211 clusters. 3686 children born to HIV-negative mothers were assessed at age 18 months (884 in the standard of care group from 52 clusters, 893 in the IYCF group from 53 clusters, 918 in the WASH group from 53 clusters, and 991 in the IYCF plus WASH group from 51 clusters). In the IYCF intervention groups, the mean length-for-age Z score was 0·16 (95% CI 0·08-0·23) higher and the mean haemoglobin concentration was 2·03 g/L (1·28-2·79) higher than those in the non-IYCF intervention groups. The IYCF intervention reduced the number of stunted children from 620 (35%) of 1792 to 514 (27%) of 1879, and the number of children with anaemia from 245 (13·9%) of 1759 to 193 (10·5%) of 1845. The WASH intervention had no effect on either primary outcome. Neither intervention reduced the prevalence of diarrhoea at 12 or 18 months. No trial-related serious adverse events, and only three trial-related adverse events, were reported. INTERPRETATION: Household-level elementary WASH interventions implemented in rural areas in low-income countries are unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia and might not reduce diarrhoea. Implementation of these WASH interventions in combination with IYCF interventions is unlikely to reduce stunting or anaemia more than implementation of IYCF alone. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development, Wellcome Trust, Swiss Development Cooperation, UNICEF, and US National Institutes of Health.The SHINE trial is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1021542 and OPP113707); UK Department for International Development; Wellcome Trust, UK (093768/Z/10/Z, 108065/Z/15/Z and 203905/Z/16/Z); Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation; US National Institutes of Health (2R01HD060338-06); and UNICEF (PCA-2017-0002)

Inflammatory bowel disease in sub-Saharan Africa: a protocol of a prospective registry with a nested case-control study.

INTRODUCTION The epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in sub-Saharan Africa is poorly documented. We have started a registry to determine the burden, phenotype, risk factors, disease course and outcomes of IBD in Zimbabwe. METHODS AND ANALYSIS A prospective observational registry with a nested case-control study has been established at a tertiary hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. The registry is recruiting confirmed IBD cases from the hospital, and other facilities throughout Zimbabwe. Demographic and clinical data are obtained at baseline, 6 months and annually. Two age and sex-matched non-IBD controls per case are recruited-a sibling or second-degree relative, and a randomly selected individual from the same neighbourhood. Cases and controls are interviewed for potential risk factors of IBD, and dietary intake using a food frequency questionnaire. Stool is collected for 16S rRNA-based microbiota profiling, and along with germline DNA from peripheral blood, is being biobanked. The estimated sample size is 86 cases and 172 controls, and the overall registry is anticipated to run for at least 5 years. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the demographic and phenotypic characteristics of IBD, and incidence and prevalence will be estimated for Harare. Risk factors for IBD will be analysed using conditional logistic regression. For microbial analysis, alpha diversity and beta diversity will be compared between cases and controls, and between IBD phenotypes. Mann-Whitney U tests for alpha diversity and Adonis (Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance) for beta diversity will be computed. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION Ethical approval has been obtained from the Parirenyatwa Hospital's and University of Zimbabwe's research ethics committee and the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe. Findings will be discussed with patients, and the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health. Results will be presented at scientific meetings, published in peer reviewed journals, and on social media. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT04178408

Anal human papillomavirus infection in HIV-positive men and women at two opportunistic infections clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract Background HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of anal cancer; in the majority of cases this is linked to human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Anal cancer screening is not routinely offered in Zimbabwe. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed on 152 patients (88 females; 64 males) attending Opportunistic Infection Clinics at 2 tertiary hospitals between November 2014 and June 2015. Demographic data, immunological parameters and behavioural characteristics were collected. An anal swab was collected from each patient for HPV genotype testing. HPV testing was performed using MY09/MY11 PCR, followed by typing using the dot blot method. Results The mean age was 39.6 years (range, 18–69 years). Median CD4 count was 375 cells/μL. 96% were on antiretroviral therapy. Only one patient identified as a man who has sex with men. Of 122 samples tested for HPV, 54 were positive (44%). HPV was three times more common in females (60%) than males (20%). Being HPV-positive was associated with history of perianal warts, history of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and having more than ten lifetime sexual partners. The most commonly detected high-risk HPV genotypes were HPV-58 (13%), HPV-31 (11%) and HPV-16 (9%). Nine patients harboured multiple high-risk HPV types. The two most commonly detected low-risk genotypes were HPV-11 (17%) and HPV-53 (11%). Conclusion Overall anal HPV prevalence was 44% in this mostly heterosexual HIV-positive population. Oncogenic HPV types accounted for almost half of infections, supporting the need for surveillance of anal cancer in this population