The UPA-Ecosan concept in Uganda: socio-acceptability and hygiene safety

The interdisciplinary PhD research “Potentials and Constraints to the Link of Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture and Ecological Sanitation” carried out at University of Technology Hamburg-Harburg, TUHH assesses the safe reuse of faeces and urine and the social acceptability of re-circulation of human-derived nutrients. Thus facilitating the interaction of ecosan and agriculture. The research complements already conducted and on-going work. Vital part of the studies is the continuous monitoring of temperature and humidity and the repeated analyses of bio-solids for pH and microbiological parameters over a period of twelve months. Furthermore a study on the survival of Ascaris suum eggs in the faecal matter is carried out while the assessment of the socio-cultural acceptance of human derived nutrients is conducted by interviews. Preliminary results from interviews and observations are presented

Prevalence and risk factors for brucellosis in prolonged fever patients in post-conflict Northern Uganda

Background: Brucellosis is a disease with significant public and economic implications but strategies for controlling this disease remain problematic.Objectives: This study sought to determine the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in prolonged fever patients and to identify modifiable risk factors for the infection in humans in post conflict Northern Uganda.Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional method among prolonged fever patients who had visited selected health facilities in the study districts in Northern Uganda. Sero-prevalence of brucellosis was calculated for i-ELISA IgG/IgM. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on possible risk factors for brucellosis. Associations between sero-prevalence and risk factors were measured using the Odds Ratio.Results: Brucellosis was confirmed in 18.7% of the 251 patients that tested positive for the disease, with the rapid Brucella Plate Agglutination Test, and ages 10-84 years (median age 47+0.86). Sex (p = 0.001; OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.75 - 8.24), rearing livestock (p < 0.005; OR 8.44; 95% CI 2.84-25.03) and consumption of unpasteurised milk (p = 0.023; OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.14-5.80) were factors associated with brucellosis.Conclusion: Control of brucellosis in animals, training and sensitisation of the community on brucellosis is needed to stimulate action on human brucellosis control.Keywords: Brucellosis, human, fever, prevalence, Uganda, zoonosis

Prevalence and risk factors for brucellosis in prolonged fever patients in post-conflict Northern Uganda

Background: Brucellosis is a disease with significant public and economic implications but strategies for controlling this disease remain problematic. Objectives: This study sought to determine the sero-prevalence of brucellosis in prolonged fever patients and to identify modifiable risk factors for the infection in humans in post conflict Northern Uganda. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional method among prolonged fever patients who had visited selected health facilities in the study districts in Northern Uganda. Sero-prevalence of brucellosis was calculated for i-ELISA IgG/IgM. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data on possible risk factors for brucellosis. Associations between sero-prevalence and risk factors were measured using the Odds Ratio. Results: Brucellosis was confirmed in 18.7% of the 251 patients that tested positive for the disease, with the rapid Brucella Plate Agglutination Test, and ages 10-84 years (median age 47+0.86). Sex (p = 0.001; OR 3.79; 95% CI 1.75 - 8.24), rearing livestock (p < 0.005; OR 8.44; 95% CI 2.84-25.03) and consumption of unpasteurised milk (p = 0.023; OR 2.57; 95% CI 1.14-5.80) were factors associated with brucellosis. Conclusion: Control of brucellosis in animals, training and sensitisation of the community on brucellosis is needed to stimulate action on human brucellosis control

National food safety control systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does Uganda's aquaculture control system meet international requirements

Stringent food safety requirements set by developed country markets, which require exporting countries to establish effective national food control systems (NFCS) that guarantee safety of the products to the market, pose a challenge to Sub-Saharan countries in development of aquaculture products as alternative exports following the decline of capture fisheries. In the study, four components of Uganda's NFCS including legislation, competent authority, inspection services, and laboratory services were evaluated for compliance with FAO/WHO, European Union (EU), and the United States (US) market recommendations for guaranteeing aquaculture product safety. Using a checklist, component elements were benchmarked and scored, and components ranked for compliance with the recommendations. On a scale of 0-5, where 0 denotes none, 1 very low, 2 low, 3 some, 4 almost total, and 5 full compliance, only laboratory services had a barely acceptable score of 3.3 (some compliance). The rest including legislation which is central in setting the level of controls by the other three components scored below three, and the combined score for all components was only 2.2, indicating that Uganda's NFCS was still short of the requirements to allow entrepreneurs to access markets in the EU and other developed countries. The low score is partly attributed to the dynamics of this country's fledgling aquaculture industry and the rapidly evolving food safety requirements in the international markets.National food control system Aquaculture Compliance International requirements Uganda Sub-Saharan Africa