Enhancing communication strategies in controlling neglected tropical diseases in Nigeria

Abstract Neglected tropical diseases (NTD), a broad set of infectious diseases prevalent in tropical and subtropical environments, are widely known to affect individuals with limited resources in underserved communities. Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest cases of NTD, with an estimated 100 million people in the country at risk for at least one NTD. In Nigeria, the NTD master plan recognizes behavioural change communication as an important part of its strategy for reducing the burden of NTDs. Behavioural change communication has been proven to be significant in preventing and reducing infection, spread and re‐infection of diseases. However, poor communication strategies, lack of funds and human resources and lack of training on how to deliver behavioural change interventions are major challenges. Enhancing communication strategies will significantly help increase attention towards NTD prevention methods and acceptance of treatment interventions. It is also important to ensure that healthcare professionals are provided with adequate skills in the delivery of behavioural change interventions in the communities. This article reviews the activities to enhance communication strategies in the context settings of Nigeria

Increasing challenges of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa: priorities for public health research and policymakers

The ever-increasing cases and mortality due to malaria remains one of the most important public health threats, especially in sub-Saharan Africa—where this burden is considerably high. In 2020, sub-Saharan Africa accounted for about 95% of all cases and 96% of all malaria deaths with about 80% of these deaths reported in children under the age of 5. This review, adopting a public health focus, aimed to understand the challenges of malaria control in sub-Saharan Africa despite ongoing public health interventions. Our review highlights two important findings. First, the increasing resistance of malaria parasites to artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) and its partner drugs coupled with increased vector resistance to pyrethroids and insecticides is reversing the progress of public health interventions in keeping malaria under control. Second, the wanning for the efficacy of the WHO-approved vaccine i.e. RTS,S from 60 to 70% following 18 months of observation, and its short-term availability remains an impediment to achieving the WHO target of producing malaria vaccines with more than 75% efficacy by 2030. Our findings underline the need to reassess research priorities with a focus on vaccine production in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, African governments and policymakers must be committed to invest both the political and financial capital in vaccine production and distribution

Global Environmental Health Impacts of Rare Earth Metals: Insights for Research and Policy Making in Africa

The rise of globalization and industrialization has driven the demand for rare earth metals (REMs). These metals are widely used in various sectors of the global economy with various applications in medicine, renewable energy, electronics, agriculture, and the military. REMs are likely to remain an important part of our global future, and, as production increases, areas contaminated by REMs are expected to expand over the coming decades. Thus, triggering significant adverse environmental, animal, and human health impacts. Despite increased attention on REMs outside China in recent years, there are limited studies exploring REM production, deposits, and associated health impacts in the African context. Proper mine management, adequate safety protocols, sustainable processing methods, and waste handling systems have been identified and proposed globally; however, the nature and scale of implementing these management protocols on the African continent have been less clear. Therefore, planetary health-centered solutions are urgently needed to be undertaken by researchers, policy makers, and non-governmental actors in Africa and across the globe. This is with the overarching aim of ensuring eco-friendly alternatives and public health consciousness on REM exploitations and hazards for future generations to come

A landscape review of malaria vaccine candidates in the pipeline

Abstract Background Globally, malaria continues to pose a major health challenge, with approximately 247 million cases of the illness and 627,000 deaths reported in 2021. However, the threat is particularly pronounced in sub-Saharan African countries, where pregnant women and children under the age of five face heightened vulnerability to the disease. As a result, the imperative to develop malaria vaccines especially for these vulnerable populations, remains crucial in the pursuit of malaria eradication. However, despite decades of research, effective vaccine development faces technical challenges, including the rapid spread of drug-resistant parasite strains, the complex parasite lifecycle, the development of liver hypnozoites with potential for relapse, and evasion of the host immune system. This review aims to discuss the different malaria vaccine candidates in the pipeline, highlighting different approaches used for adjuvating these candidates, their benefits, and outcomes, and summarizing the progress of these vaccine candidates under development. Method A comprehensive web-based search for peer-reviewed journal articles published in SCOPUS, MEDLINE (via PubMed), Science Direct, WHO, and Advanced Google Scholar databases was conducted from 1990 to May 2022. Context-specific keywords such as “Malaria”, “Malaria Vaccine”, “Malaria Vaccine Candidates”, “Vaccine Development”, “Vaccine Safety”, “Clinical Trials”, “mRNA Vaccines”, “Viral Vector Vaccines”, “Protein-based Vaccines”, “Subunit Vaccines”, “Vaccine Adjuvants”, “Vaccine-induced Immune Responses”, and “Immunogenicity” were emphatically considered. Articles not directly related to malaria vaccine candidates in preclinical and clinical stages of development were excluded. Results Various approaches have been studied for malaria vaccine development, targeting different parasite lifecycle stages, including the pre-erythrocytic, erythrocytic, and sexual stages. The RTS, S/AS01 vaccine, the first human parasite vaccine reaching WHO-listed authority maturity level 4, has demonstrated efficacy in preventing clinical malaria in African children. However, progress was slow in introducing other safe, and feasible malaria vaccines through clinical trials . Recent studies highlight the potential effectiveness of combining pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage vaccines, along with the advantages of mRNA vaccines for prophylaxis and treatment, and nonstructural vaccines for large-scale production. Conclusion Malaria vaccine candidates targeting different lifecycle stages of the parasite range from chemoprophylaxis vaccination to cross-species immune protection. The use of a multi-antigen, multi-stage combinational vaccine is therefore essential in the context of global health. This demands careful understanding and critical consideration of the long-term multi-faceted interplay of immune interference, co-dominance, complementary immune response, molecular targets, and adjuvants affecting the overall vaccine-induced immune response. Despite challenges, advancements in clinical trials and vaccination technology offer promising possibilities for novel approaches in malaria vaccine development