Perceptions on the Level of Influence of Parental Involvement on Acquisition of Literacy Skills among Pupils in Primary Schools in Akithi Division, Tigania West District, Kenya

Literacy is the basis for most school learning, and one of the surest predictors of academic achievement. Studies indicate that parents in Kenya are not actively involved in their children’s literacy acquisition process. This study sought to explore parents’, teachers’, and pupils perceptions on the influence of parental involvement on acquisition of literacy skills. The study was carried out in Akithi Division, Tigania West District, Kenya. Descriptive survey research design was used to carry out this study. Data collection was done using questionnaires and interview schedules. The study suggests that schools administrators need to formulate clear policy guidelines on the involvement of parents in the literacy development of their children. Keywords: “influence”, “Parental improvement”, “Acquisition”, “Literacy skills

Engagement of Undergraduate Nursing Students in Virtual Learning Environment in Karachi Pakistan

Aga Khan University (AKU) is implementing blended learning (BL) in their existing programs. This study reports the use of BL mode in one of the courses entitled Advanced Concepts of Community Health nursing (ACCHN), offered for undergraduate nursing students, for the first time in Karachi Pakistan. A qualitative exploratory design was adopted.The year II students of Post-RN BScN programme who were studying the course were invited to participate in the study. Data was collected by using focus group discussions (FGDs.). Students found ACCHN course flexible because of the use of blended modalities. They felt that their learning was enhanced by multiple resources shared by faculty on Moodle. In terms of strategies, students found Vodcasts useful. Moreover, few students felt DFs were not as useful, due to wordy posts, which were time consuming to read and understand. Students also found lack of facilitation by faculty on DFs. Students suggested that faculty can use synchronous modes such as Skype and Webex to summarize the discussions. Load shedding and low bandwidth were also discussed by students as obstacles in successful implementation of the course. The findings concluded that bandwidth and electricity issue at home needs to be resolved at the national level

Factors influencing quality of clinical teaching in pre-service nursing education at St. Joseph mission hospital Peramiho, Tanzania

Despite efforts employed in clinical teaching, several cases of poor performance have been reported. Quality clinical teaching is important as it reinforces learning. Integrated learning ensures the achievement of quality in health care provision. The study evaluated factors influencing quality of clinical teaching in pre-service nursing education in St. Joseph mission hospital Peramiho Tanzania. This was done through a descriptive cross sectional study design. There is no published research among these factors at St. Joseph mission hospital Peramiho. A quantitative study used self-administered questionnaire to collect data from 97 respondents. Three sub-factors the nurse-tutor; training institution and health facility were measured to identify the influence on quality clinical teaching. The results of the study show that Nurse-tutor factors, training institution factors and health facility factors both proved to have positive influence. Some sub-factors in regard to training institution and health facility did not conform to the standard indicated to hinder positive influence to clinical teaching, are responsible for low quality in clinical teaching. The study concluded that the positively influencing factors to be maintained, while those identified to hinder to be improved. It was recommended that stakeholders to set strategies to ensure quality clinical setting to strengthen clinical teaching. Key words: Quality clinical teaching, pre-service, nursing

Integrating human papillomavirus testing as a point-of care service using GeneXpert platforms: Findings and lessons from a Kenyan pilot study (2019–2020)

Background: Globally, cervical cancer is a major public health problem, with about 604,000 new cases and over 340,000 deaths in 2020. In Kenya, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths, with over 3,000 women dying in 2020 alone. Both the Kenyan cancer screening guidelines and the World Health Organization’s Global Cervical Cancer Elimination Strategy recommend human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as the primary screening test. However, HPV testing is not widely available in the public healthcare system in Kenya. We conducted a pilot study using a point of care (POC) HPV test to inform national roll-out. Methods: The pilot was implemented from October 2019 to December 2020, in nine health facilities across six counties. We utilized the GeneXpert platform (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA, USA), currently used for TB, Viral load testing and early infant diagnosis for HIV, for HPV screening. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) was used for triage of HPV-positive women, as recommended in national guidelines. Quality assurance (QA) was performed by the National Oncology Reference Laboratory (NORL), using the COBAS 4800 platform (Roche Molecular System, Pleasanton, CF, USA). HPV testing was done using either self or clinician-collected samples. We assessed the following screening performance indicators: screening coverage, screen test positivity, triage compliance, triage positivity and treatment compliance. Test agreement between local GeneXpert and central comparator high-risk HPV (hrHPV) testing for a random set of specimens was calculated as overall concordance and kappa value. We conducted a final evaluation and applied the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to identify implementation challenges and opportunities. Key findings: The screening coverage of target population was 27.0% (4500/16,666); 52.8% (2376/4500) were between 30–49 years of age. HPV positivity rate was 22.8% (1027/4500). Only 10% (105/1027) of HPV positive cases were triaged with VIA/VILI; 21% (22/105) tested VIA/VILI positive, and 73% (16/22) received treatment (15 received cryotherapy, 1 was referred for biopsy). The median HPV testing turnaround time (TAT) was 24 hours (IQR 2–48 hours). Invalid sample rate was 2.0% (91/4500). Concordance between the Cepheid and COBAS was 86.2% (kappa value = 0.71). Of 1042 healthcare workers, only 5.6% (58/1042) were trained in cervical cancer screening and treatment, and only 69% (40/58) of those trained were stationed at service provision areas. Testing capacity was identifed as the main challenge, while the community strategy was the main opportunity. Conclusion: HPV testing can be performed on GeneXpert as a near point of care platform. However, triage compliance and testing TAT were major concerns. We recommend strengthening of the screening-triage-treatment cascade and expansion of testing capacity, before adoption of a GeneXpert-based HPV screening among other near point of care platforms in Kenya

Molecular Epidemiology of Rotavirus Strains in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Children in Manhiça District, Southern Mozambique 2008–2019

..870-15 SC; the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), grant number AID-656-F-16-00002 and Fundo Nacional de Investiga??o (FNI), Mo?ambique, grant number 245-INV, within the context of diarrhoeal disease surveillance platform implementation. F.M PhD is supported by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, grant number 234066. The authors convey many thanks to all the caregivers who consented to their children?s participation in both studies (GEMS and the diarrhoeal disease platform). They would also like to thank all the professionals in the hospitals and those on field recruitment for their full dedication and effort in children enrolment and collection of data and samples whenever possible. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Group A rotaviruses remain the leading cause of diarrhoea in children aged <5 years. Mozambique introduced rotavirus vaccine (Rotarix® ) in September 2015. We report rotavirus geno-types circulating among symptomatic and asymptomatic children in Manhiça District, Mozambique, pre-and post-vaccine introduction. Stool was collected from enrolled children and screened for ro-tavirus by enzyme-immuno-sorbent assay. Positive specimens were genotyped for VP7 (G genotypes) and VP4 (P genotypes) by the conventional reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The combination G12P[8] was more frequently observed in pre-vaccine than in post-vaccine introduction, in moderate to severe diarrhoea (34%, 61/177 vs. 0, p < 0.0001) and controls (23%, 26/113 vs. 0, p = 0.0013) and mixed genotypes (36%, 24/67 vs. 7% 4/58, p = 0.0003) in less severe diarrhoea. We observed changes in post-vaccine compared to pre-vaccine introduction, where G3P[4] and G3P[8] were prevalent in moderate to severe diarrhoea (10%, 5/49 vs. 0, p = 0.0002; and 14%, 7/49 vs. 1%, 1/177, p < 0.0001; respectively), and in less severe diarrhoea (21%, 12/58 vs. 0, p = 0.003; and 24%, 14/58 vs. 0, p < 0.0001; respectively). Our surveillance demonstrated the circulation of similar genotypes contemporaneously among cases and controls, as well as switching from pre-to post-vaccine introduction. Continuous surveillance is needed to evaluate the dynamics of the changes in genotypes following vaccine introduction.publishersversionpublishe

A national quality assurance programme for point-of- care testing in Malawi

No abstract available

Impact of the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccine on Hospital Admissions for Diarrhea Among Children in Kenya: A Controlled Interrupted Time-Series Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Monovalent rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix (GlaxoSmithKline), was introduced in Kenya in July 2014 and is recommended to infants as oral doses at ages 6 and 10 weeks. A multisite study was established in 2 population-based surveillance sites to evaluate vaccine impact on the incidence of rotavirus-associated hospitalizations (RVHs). METHODS: Hospital-based surveillance was conducted from January 2010 to June 2017 for acute diarrhea hospitalizations among children aged <5 years in 2 health facilities in Kenya. A controlled interrupted time-series analysis was undertaken to compare RVH pre- and post-vaccine introduction using rotavirus-negative cases as a control series. The change in incidence post-vaccine introduction was estimated from a negative binomial model that adjusted for secular trend, seasonality, and multiple health worker industrial actions (strikes). RESULTS: Between January 2010 and June 2017 there were 1513 and 1652 diarrhea hospitalizations in Kilifi and Siaya; among those tested for rotavirus, 28% (315/1142) and 23% (197/877) were positive, respectively. There was a 57% (95% confidence interval [CI], 8-80%) reduction in RVHs observed in the first year post-vaccine introduction in Kilifi and a 59% (95% CI, 20-79%) reduction in Siaya. In the second year, RVHs decreased further at both sites, 80% (95% CI, 46-93%) reduction in Kilifi and 82% reduction in Siaya (95% CI. 61-92%); this reduction was sustained at both sites into the third year. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial reduction in RVHs and all-cause diarrhea was observed in 2 demographic surveillance sites in Kenya within 3 years of vaccine introduction

The global meningitis genome partnership.

Genomic surveillance of bacterial meningitis pathogens is essential for effective disease control globally, enabling identification of emerging and expanding strains and consequent public health interventions. While there has been a rise in the use of whole genome sequencing, this has been driven predominately by a subset of countries with adequate capacity and resources. Global capacity to participate in surveillance needs to be expanded, particularly in low and middle-income countries with high disease burdens. In light of this, the WHO-led collaboration, Defeating Meningitis by 2030 Global Roadmap, has called for the establishment of a Global Meningitis Genome Partnership that links resources for: N. meningitidis (Nm), S. pneumoniae (Sp), H. influenzae (Hi) and S. agalactiae (Sa) to improve worldwide co-ordination of strain identification and tracking. Existing platforms containing relevant genomes include: PubMLST: Nm (31,622), Sp (15,132), Hi (1935), Sa (9026); The Wellcome Sanger Institute: Nm (13,711), Sp (> 24,000), Sa (6200), Hi (1738); and BMGAP: Nm (8785), Hi (2030). A steering group is being established to coordinate the initiative and encourage high-quality data curation. Next steps include: developing guidelines on open-access sharing of genomic data; defining a core set of metadata; and facilitating development of user-friendly interfaces that represent publicly available data