Traditional Cloth Dyeing Enterprise at Ntonso: Challenges and Opportunities

There is a growing awareness to the threats posed by synthetic dyes. Natural plant-based dyes have proved to be important alternatives to synthetic dyes in the textile industry. The study investigated the traditional cottage textile dyeing enterprise at Ntonso, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, to identify challenges facing the industry. Data were collected through questionnaire administration, individual and group interviews, and from secondary sources. A total of 40 proprietors were randomly selected and interviewed at Ntonso. The results indicate that the textile dyeing enterprise is confronted with a number of challenges, including default in payments by clients, poor quality of some natural dyes on the market and lack of interest of financial institutions to support expansion of the business. The dyers have, over the years, utilised only two tree species as sources of textile dyes. However potential exists for natural dyes from many plants. But many of these potential dye-yielding plants have not been investigated for colour production and performance on cloths for use in the textile industry. Systematic investigation into the dye-yielding potential of these species and their practical application and performance in the industry would boost the industry in Ghana

Effect of Collar Diameter and Lifting Period on Shoot Biomass Production of Teak (Tectona Grandis Linn. F) Stumps

The effects of collar diameter and lifting period on shoot biomass production of Teak (Tectona grandis Linn. F) stumps were investigated during the 2006 dry season on the research farm of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. The lifting period is time when planting of stumps is delayed. A 3x5 split-plot factorial experiment in randomized complete block design was used. The main aim was to determine suitable methods of converting teak seedlings into stumps and evaluate the consequences of delaying planting of teak stumps to enhance high amount of teak shoot production thus address the persistent problem of poor sprouting and low biomass productivity in the early stages of planted teak in large-scale plantation development in Ghana. Collar diameter of stumps, and time as well as the interaction of collar diameter and period of delay of planting stumps and the combined effects of these factors had significant effect on number of shoots per plot. The highest number of teak shoots was obtained from teak stumps of collar diameter of 2.75 cm planted immediately after harvesting. For teak stumps of collar diameter of 2.75 cm if planting is delayed for 4 weeks the number of shoots reduces to 25 % of its value if planted immediately. Teak stumps stored in the open air when planting is delayed beyond 15 weeks may not produce shoots

The importance of traditional healers in the planning of rural healthcare delivery in Ghana: the case of bone-setting services in Loagri and Wungu

There has been increasing debate on whether traditional healers actually matter in planning for healthcare delivery and how their services can be effectively integrated into planning for formal health delivery systems. Whilst many have raised issues of standardization and efficacy against traditional healing, others have acclaimed its efficacy and many Ghanaians are claimed to have confidence in it and use traditional healing simultaneously with orthodox treatment. Detailed qualitative interviews were held with two bone-setters, one in Loagri and one in Wungu, 150 bone patients, 100 community members and 20 health staff. It was revealed that rural healthcare planning must incorporate traditional bone-setters and therefore traditional healers as they offer useful services and are popular because of the proximity one has to such services in relation to clinics and hospitals, the cost of healthcare, socio-cultural beliefs and norms and the confidence the people with bone injuries have in traditional bone-setters. In spite of the importance of traditional bone-setters, the weak collaboration with district hospitals, inadequate accommodation, limited use of modern equipment, and inadequate support and recognition from the District Assembly and the Ministry of Health undermine their role. Effective collaboration between traditional bone-setters and the West Mamprusi District Hospital and the integration of traditional bone-setting into the national public health framework need urgent policy attention. Keywords: Bone-setting, Ghana, planning, healthcare, traditional healer

Growth and reproductive traits of Friesian X Sanga crossbred cattle in the Accra plains of Ghana

The typical cattle production system in Ghana is predominantly pasture-based. Cattle are grazed all year round on natural pastures with minimal feed supplementation. The animals kept in this production system often experience inadequate nutrition and fluctuating nutrient supply affecting their productivity. There is presently limited information on the growth and reproductive performance of the Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle (Plate 1) and factors influencing these performance traits. The growth and reproductive performance records of 150 Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle, kept at the Animal Research Institute station in the Accra Plains of Ghana from April 1993 to October 2009 were evaluated to determine the effect of parity of cow, season of calving and sex of calf on birth weight, weaning weight, growth rate, age at first calving and calving interval. The birth weight and weaning weights of the calves averaged 21.8 ± 0.5 kg and 94.2 ± 3.8 kg, respectively, and were not (P > 0.05) affected by sex of calf, parity of cow or season of calving. Parity of cow affected (P < 0.05) weight of calf at 12 months. Calf weight at 12 and 18 months averaged 128.0 ± 3.4 kg and 159.9 ± 4.5 kg, respectively. Pre-weaning and post-weaning average daily gains were 0.33 ± 0.02 kg/day and 0.23 ± 0.03 kg/day, respectively, and were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by sex of calf, parity of cow or season of calving. The mean age at first calving was 41.2 ± 1.2 months. Calving interval was prolonged averaging 441.6 ± 10.3 days and was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by parity of cow. Calving interval decreased with increasing parity of cow. The age at first calving and calving interval were not (P > 0.05) affected by either sex of calf or season of calving. The growth and reproductive performance of the Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle was less than optimum. Improving their nutrition could impact, positively, on their productivity through fast growth, increased milk yield and early resumption of ovarian cycles after calving. Thus, results from this study should guide the development of appropriate strategies for increased meat and milk production in Friesian x Sanga crossbred cattle.Keywords: Cattle, grazing, growth, pasture, reproductionAfrican Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Volume 13 No 2, April 201

Malaria mortality in Africa and Asia: evidence from INDEPTH health and demographic surveillance system sites.

BACKGROUND: Malaria continues to be a major cause of infectious disease mortality in tropical regions. However, deaths from malaria are most often not individually documented, and as a result overall understanding of malaria epidemiology is inadequate. INDEPTH Network members maintain population surveillance in Health and Demographic Surveillance System sites across Africa and Asia, in which individual deaths are followed up with verbal autopsies. OBJECTIVE: To present patterns of malaria mortality determined by verbal autopsy from INDEPTH sites across Africa and Asia, comparing these findings with other relevant information on malaria in the same regions. DESIGN: From a database covering 111,910 deaths over 12,204,043 person-years in 22 sites, in which verbal autopsy data were handled according to the WHO 2012 standard and processed using the InterVA-4 model, over 6,000 deaths were attributed to malaria. The overall period covered was 1992-2012, but two-thirds of the observations related to 2006-2012. These deaths were analysed by site, time period, age group and sex to investigate epidemiological differences in malaria mortality. RESULTS: Rates of malaria mortality varied by 1:10,000 across the sites, with generally low rates in Asia (one site recording no malaria deaths over 0.5 million person-years) and some of the highest rates in West Africa (Nouna, Burkina Faso: 2.47 per 1,000 person-years). Childhood malaria mortality rates were strongly correlated with Malaria Atlas Project estimates of Plasmodium falciparum parasite rates for the same locations. Adult malaria mortality rates, while lower than corresponding childhood rates, were strongly correlated with childhood rates at the site level. CONCLUSIONS: The wide variations observed in malaria mortality, which were nevertheless consistent with various other estimates, suggest that population-based registration of deaths using verbal autopsy is a useful approach to understanding the details of malaria epidemiology

Antibody levels to multiple malaria vaccine candidate antigens in relation to clinical malaria episodes in children in the Kasena-Nankana district of Northern Ghana

BACKGROUND: Considering the natural history of malaria of continued susceptibility to infection and episodes of illness that decline in frequency and severity over time, studies which attempt to relate immune response to protection must be longitudinal and have clearly specified definitions of immune status. Putative vaccines are expected to protect against infection, mild or severe disease or reduce transmission, but so far it has not been easy to clearly establish what constitutes protective immunity or how this develops naturally, especially among the affected target groups. The present study was done in under six year old children to identify malaria antigens which induce antibodies that correlate with protection from Plasmodium falciparum malaria. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, the multiplex assay was used to measure IgG antibody levels to 10 malaria antigens (GLURP R0, GLURP R2, MSP3 FVO, AMA1 FVO, AMA1 LR32, AMA1 3D7, MSP1 3D7, MSP1 FVO, LSA-1and EBA175RII) in 325 children aged 1 to 6 years in the Kassena Nankana district of northern Ghana. The antigen specific antibody levels were then related to the risk of clinical malaria over the ensuing year using a negative binomial regression model. RESULTS: IgG levels generally increased with age. The risk of clinical malaria decreased with increasing antibody levels. Except for FMPOII-LSA, (p = 0.05), higher IgG levels were associated with reduced risk of clinical malaria (defined as axillary temperature ≥37.5°C and parasitaemia of ≥5000 parasites/ul blood) in a univariate analysis, upon correcting for the confounding effect of age. However, in a combined multiple regression analysis, only IgG levels to MSP1-3D7 (Incidence rate ratio = 0.84, [95% C.I.= 0.73, 0.97, P = 0.02]) and AMA1 3D7 (IRR = 0.84 [95% C.I.= 0.74, 0.96, P = 0.01]) were associated with a reduced risk of clinical malaria over one year of morbidity surveillance. CONCLUSION: The data from this study support the view that a multivalent vaccine involving different antigens is most likely to be more effective than a monovalent one. Functional assays, like the parasite growth inhibition assay will be necessary to confirm if these associations reflect functional roles of antibodies to MSP1-3D7 and AMA1-3D7 in this population

Modelling the Protective Efficacy of Alternative Delivery Schedules for Intermittent Preventive Treatment of Malaria in Infants and Children

BACKGROUND: Intermittent preventive treatment in infants (IPTi) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is recommended by WHO where malaria incidence in infancy is high and SP resistance is low. The current delivery strategy is via routine Expanded Program on Immunisation contacts during infancy (EPI-IPTi). However, improvements to this approach may be possible where malaria transmission is seasonal, or where the malaria burden lies mainly outside infancy. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A mathematical model was developed to estimate the protective efficacy (PE) of IPT against clinical malaria in children aged 2-24 months, using entomological and epidemiological data from an EPI-IPTi trial in Navrongo, Ghana to parameterise the model. The protection achieved by seasonally-targeted IPT in infants (sIPTi), seasonal IPT in children (sIPTc), and by case-management with long-acting artemisinin combination therapies (LA-ACTs) was predicted for Navrongo and for sites with different transmission intensity and seasonality. In Navrongo, the predicted PE of sIPTi was 26% by 24 months of age, compared to 16% with EPI-IPTi. sIPTc given to all children under 2 years would provide PE of 52% by 24 months of age. Seasonally-targeted IPT retained its advantages in a range of transmission patterns. Under certain circumstances, LA-ACTs for case-management may provide similar protection to EPI-IPTi. However, EPI-IPTi or sIPT combined with LA-ACTs would be substantially more protective than either strategy used alone. CONCLUSION: Delivery of IPT to infants via the EPI is sub-optimal because individuals are not protected by IPT at the time of highest malaria risk, and because older children are not protected. Alternative delivery strategies to the EPI are needed where transmission varies seasonally or the malaria burden extends beyond infancy. Long-acting ACTs may also make important reductions in malaria incidence. However, delivery systems must be developed to ensure that both forms of chemoprevention reach the individuals who are most exposed to malaria