Status of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation Practices in Southern Rwanda

Background Increasing access to water sanitation and promoting basic hygiene behaviours can reduce the burden of diarrheal diseases. Availability of clean water and soap enables and encourages people to wash their hands, and as a result, it reduces the likelihood of disease transmission. The study intended to assess the hygiene and sanitation practices in Southern Rwanda. Methods A mixed method with quantitative and qualitative approach was used. A random sample of 291 households was included in the study.  Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and observations were used. The data was analysed using SPSS 21. Results The findings show that 88% of respondents had knowledge on best practices of hand washing with soap; 83.5% of the respondents own latrines, and 38% and 26% had the will to improve their toilets roof and slabs respectively. Forty-four per cent of respondents use boiling water methods and 55% do not treat water at all. Boiling water was regarded as the main water treatment method. Conclusion The study concludes that lack of water and soaps, and hand washing facilities were among other factors that hinder hygiene and sanitation. Key words: Hygiene; sanitation practic

Knowledge and practices of general practitioners at district hospitals towards cervical cancer prevention in Burundi, 2015 : a cross-sectional study

Background: Well-organized screening and treatment programmes are effective to prevent Invasive Cervical Cancer (ICC) in LMICs. To achieve this, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the involvement of existing health personnel in casu doctors, nurses, midwives in ICC prevention. A necessary precondition is that health personnel have appropriate knowledge about ICC. Therefore, to inform policy makers and training institutions in Burundi, we documented the knowledge and practices of general practitioners (GPs) at district hospital level towards ICC control. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted from February to April, 2015 among all GPs working in government district hospitals. A structured questionnaire and a scoring system were used to assess knowledge and practices of GPs. Results: The participation rate was 58.2%. Majority of GPs (76.3%) had appropriate knowledge (score > 70%) on cervical cancer disease; but some risk factors were less well known as smoking and the 2 most important oncogenic HPV. Only 8.4% of the participants had appropriate knowledge on ICC prevention: 55% of the participants were aware that HPV vaccination exists and 48.1% knew cryotherapy as a treatment method for CIN. Further, 15.3% was aware of VIA as a screening method. The majority of the participants (87%) never or rarely propose screening tests to their clients. Only 2 participants (1.5%) have already performed VIA/VILI. Wrong thoughts were also reported: 39.7% thought that CIN could be treated with radiotherapy; 3.1% thought that X-ray is a screening method. Conclusion: In this comprehensive assessment, we observed that Burundian GPs have a very low knowledge level about ICC prevention, screening and treatment. Suboptimal practices and wrong thoughts related to ICC screening and treatments have also been documented. We therefore recommend an adequate pre- and in-service training of GPs and most probably nurses on ICC control before setting up any public health intervention on ICC control

Prevalence and genotype-specific distribution of human papillomavirus in Burundi according to HIV status and urban or rural residence and its implications for control

Background Human papillomaviruses are the most important causative agents for invasive cervical cancer development. HPV type-specific vaccination and HPV cervical cancer screening methods are being widely recommended to control the disease but the epidemiology of the circulating HPV types may vary locally. The circulating HPV-strains have never been assessed in Burundi. This study determined the prevalence and genotype-specific distribution of HPV in four different strata in Burundi: HIV-infected or non-infected and women living in rural or urban areas. Implications for HPV diagnosis and vaccine implementation was discussed. Methods Four cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Burundi (2013 in a rural area and 2016 in urban area) among HIV-infected and uninfected women living in rural and urban areas. Liquid-Based Cytology (LBC) and HPV genotyping were performed and risk factors for HPV infection and cervical pre-cancer lesions were determined using logistic regression model. Results HPV prevalence was very high in urban area with significant differences between HIV-positive and negative women (p<0.0001). In fact, 45.7% of HIV-positive participants were infected with any HPV type and all were infected with at least one HR/pHR-HPV type. Among the HIV-negative participants, 13.4% were HPV-infected, of whom, only four women (2.7%) were infected with HR/pHR-HPV types. In rural area, HPV infection did not significantly differ between HIV-positive and negative women (30.0% and 31.3% respectively; p = 0.80). In urban area, multiple infections with HR/pHR-HPV types were detected in 13.9% and 2.7% among HIV-positive and negative women respectively (p<0.0001), whereas in rural area, multiple infections with HR/pHR-HPV types were detected in 4.7% and 3.3% of HIV-positive and negative women respectively (p = 0.56). The most prevalent HR/pHR-HPV types in HIV-positive women living in urban area were HPV 52, 51, 56, 18 and 16 types. In HIV-negative women living in urban area, the most prevalent HR/pHR-HPV types were HPV 66, 67, 18, 45 and 39 types. In HIV-positive women living in rural area, the most prevalent HR/pHR-HPV types were HPV 66, 16, 18 and 33 types. In HIV-negative women living in rural area, the most prevalent HR/pHR-HPV types were HPV 16, 66, 18, 35 and 45 types. Independent risk factors associated with cervical lesions were HPV and HIV infections. Conclusions There is a high burden of HR and pHR-HPV infections, in particular among HIV-infected women living in urban area. The study points out the need to introduce a comprehensive cervical cancer control programme adapted to the context. This study shows that the nona-valent vaccine covers most of the HR/pHR-HPV infections in rural and urban areas among HIV-infected and uninfected women

Permethrin-treated baby wraps for the prevention of malaria in children: Protocol for a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled controlled trial in western Uganda

This article details the study protocol for a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of permethrin-treated baby wraps to prevent Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection in children 6–24 months of age. Participating mother-infant dyads will be randomized to receive either a permethrin-treated or a sham-treated wrap, known locally as a “lesu.” After a baseline home visit, during which time all participants will receive new long-lasting insecticidal nets, participants will attend scheduled clinic visits every two weeks for a period of 24 weeks. In the event of an acute febrile illness or other symptoms that may be consistent with malaria (e.g., poor feeding, headache, malaise), participants will be instructed to present to their respective study clinic for evaluation. The primary outcome of interest is the incidence of laboratory-confirmed, symptomatic malaria in participating children. Secondary outcomes of interest include: (1) change in children’s hemoglobin levels; (2) change in children’s growth parameters; (3) prevalence of asymptomatic parasitemia in children; (4) hospitalization for malaria in children; (5) change in the mother’s hemoglobin level; and (6) clinical malaria in the mother. Analyses will be conducted using a modified intent-to-treat approach, with woman-infant dyads who attend one or more clinic visits analyzed according to the arm to which they were randomly assigned. This is the first use of an insecticide-treated baby wrap for prevention of malaria in children. The study began recruitment in June 2022 and is ongoing. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05391230, Registered 25 May 2022

It takes more than a machine: A pilot feasibility study of point-of-care HIV-1 viral load testing at a lower-level health center in rural western Uganda

Barriers continue to limit access to viral load (VL) monitoring across sub-Saharan Africa adversely impacting control of the HIV epidemic. The objective of this study was to determine whether the systems and processes required to realize the potential of rapid molecular technology are available at a prototypical lower-level (i.e., level III) health center in rural Uganda. In this open-label pilot study, participants underwent parallel VL testing at both the central laboratory (i.e., standard of care) and on-site using the GeneXpert HIV-1 assay. The primary outcome was the number of VL tests completed each clinic day. Secondary outcomes included the number of days from sample collection to receipt of result at clinic and the number of days from sample collection to patient receipt of the result. From August 2020 to July 2021, we enrolled a total of 242 participants. The median number of daily tests performed on the Xpert platform was 4, (IQR = 2–7). Time from sample collection to result was 51 days (IQR = 45–62) for samples sent to the central laboratory and 0 days (IQR = 0–0.25) for the Xpert assay conducted at the health center. However, few participants elected to receive results by one of the expedited options, which contributed to similar time-to-patient between testing approaches (89 versus 84 days, p = 0.07). Implementation of a rapid, near point-of-care VL assay at a lower-level health center in rural Uganda appears feasible, but interventions to promote rapid clinical response and influence patient preferences about result receipt require further study. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04517825, Registered 18 August 2020. Available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04517825

Wind Energy for Rwanda

Document collected by the University of Texas Libraries from the web-site of the Reseau Documentaire International Sur La Region Des Grands Lacs Africains (International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region). The Reseau distributes "gray literature", non-published or limited distribution government or NGO documents regarding the Great Lakes area of central Africa including Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.UT Librarie

Fasthet-/ temperaturutvikling i betong

Master's thesis in Structural engineeringArbeidsomfanget er å: • Undersøke effekten av pozzolaner på temperatur- og fasthetsutvikling • Gjennomgå årsak til spenningsdannelse i tverrsnittet og nær støpeskjøt • Utvikle et program for simulering av betongegenskaper i en betongkonstruksjo

EFFECT OF PROJECT PLANNING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT: A CASE OF KICUKIRO CENTER-KAGARAMA-MUYANGE ROAD IMPLEMENTED BY NPD LTD IN KICUKIRO DISTRICT, RWANDA

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;ABSTRACT:&lt;/strong&gt; The study investigated the project planning and performance of road construction project specifically the Kicukiro Center-Kagarama-Muyange Road in Rwanda. The study was guided by specific objectives which are&nbsp;to ascertain the effects of scope planning on performance of road construction projects; to determine the effect of resource planning on performance of road construction projects; to determine the effect of Risk planning on performance of road construction projects; and to examine the effect of stakeholders planning on performance of road construction projects.&nbsp; Descriptive and correlative research designs; and the mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. Targeted population was 237 persons. The study had 149 respondents as sample size.&nbsp;Data collection methods were documentary analysis; questionnaire; interview guide; and&nbsp;observations. Descriptive statistic method was used to analyze collected data specifically the frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. Correlation coefficient; and&nbsp;multiple linear Regression analysis models were adopted.&nbsp;The results showed that there is a positive and strong correlation between Project scope planning and Performance. The findings showed level of f-test model is 228.710 which is positive with p-value of 0.000b less than both standard significance levels of 0.05 and 0.01. The study retained alternative hypothesis stated that Ha1 stated that&nbsp;there is a significant effect of resource planning on performance of road construction project; Ha2 said that&nbsp;there are significant effects of scope planning on performance of road construction project; Ha3&nbsp;stated that there are significant effects of Risk planning on performance of road construction project; and Ha4 said that there are significant effects of stakeholder's involvement on performance of construction projects of Kicukiro Center-Kagarama-Muyange. Kicukiro District.&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Key words:&nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;project planning; performance; road construction project&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt

De l'organisation et de la compétence des tribunaux du travail en droits belge et burundais et statut du parquet près ces tribunaux

Master [120] en droit, Université catholique de Louvain, 201