Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Socio-economic and hygienic aspects of street food vending in Maseru City, Lesotho

Street food vending is a growing phenomenon in many countries and contributes to the livelihoods of many people. However, the safety of the foods is often a cause for concern because the environment in which they operate is usually unhygienic, leading to contamination. The objectives of this study were to assess the socio-economic contribution of street foods in Maseru and to assess the hygienic practices of the vendors in the city. A cross-sectional study was done by interviewing the street food vendors using a semi-structured questionnaire focusing on the contribution of food vending to the economy, and the hygienic practices of the food vendors. One hundred street vendors were interviewed at the Maseru Market, Manonyane bus stop, Mafafa market, Metro taxi rank, Sefika taxi rank as well as outside the Ministry of Health Government Office Complex. The majority of the vendors [77%] were women. Fifty three per cent of the vendors were in age range of 25-30 years and street food vending was the main source of income. About 51% reported profits above 100 Maloti [@US$13] per day. The main types of food items sold were papa [thick maize meal porridge], boiled vegetables [moroho], roasted chicken, pork or beef, and beef stew. The vendors operated from makeshift structures and had no running water. All the street vendors used buckets for washing hands after visiting the toilet and before handling food. Fifty two percent of the vendors operated the street food vending business on individual basis. It was concluded that while street food vending in Maseru can be viable, the hygienic practices need to be improved. It is recommended the government and local authorities should assist vendors with appropriate shelters, running water, and electricity to improve the quality of food

Revival of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950: observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figure

Expanding the Social Security Net in South Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Constraints

Rapid increases in government expenditure on social security between 2000 and 2006 has further increased poor households’ reliance on welfare grants and has been important in the fight against poverty. Already there is evidence of a substitution taking place within the social budget: expenditure on education and health seems to have declined in favour of increased welfare transfer expenditure

The methodological quality is insufficient in clinical practice guidelines in the context of COVID-19 : systematic review

Objectives The number of published clinical practice guidelines related to COVID-19 has rapidly increased. This study explored if basic methodological standards of guideline development have been met in the published clinical practice guidelines related to COVID-19. Study Design and Setting Rapid systematic review from February 1 until April 27, 2020 using MEDLINE [PubMed], CINAHL [Ebsco], Trip and manual search, including all types of healthcare workers providing any kind of healthcare to any patient population in any setting. Results There were 1342 titles screened and 188 guidelines included. The highest average AGREE II domain score was 89% for scope and purpose, the lowest for rigor of development (25%). Only eight guidelines (4%) were based on a systematic literature search and a structured consensus process by representative experts (classified as the highest methodological quality). The majority (156; 83%) was solely built on an informal expert consensus. A process for regular updates was described in 27 guidelines (14%). Patients were included in the development of only one guideline. Conclusion Despite clear scope, most publications fell short of basic methodological standards of guideline development. Clinicians should use guidelines that include up-to-date information, were informed by stakeholder involvement, and employed rigorous methodologies