The potential of anthill soils in agriculture production in Africa: A review

This research article published by the International Journal of Biosciences, 2017In this review, we have attempted to highlight the critical role which anthills could play in sustainable agriculture practices as a locally available resource for the benefit of financially and soil fertility challenged smallholder farmers. Examples from across sub-Saharan Africa region have been elucidated in this paper on how the anthills have been utilized as a choice of low external input farming strategy for soil fertility challenges. Data from the study was collected through literature search from past and present research work by various scientists across the globe encompassing the internet and research articles. We have become aware that anthill soils could play a crucial role as an alternative to chemical fertilizer for farmers who have no means of buying inorganics. We recommend that for effective utilization of anthills in crop production, there is need to build the capacity of extension staff and farmers on the application method using micro dosing techniques and simple estimation of quantity for determining the requirements per hectare. Raising awareness to policy makers at all levels could stimulate interest on how this resource could be integrated as one of the components of integrated soil fertility management in conservation agriculture technologies. Carrying out studies which would focus on factors that could help in fast development of anthills would be key for enhancing crop development amongst the smallholder farmers challenged by cost of fertilizer input

Uganda's experience in Ebola virus disease outbreak preparedness, 2018-2019.

BACKGROUND: Since the declaration of the 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in DRC on 1st Aug 2018, several neighboring countries have been developing and implementing preparedness efforts to prevent EVD cross-border transmission to enable timely detection, investigation, and response in the event of a confirmed EVD outbreak in the country. We describe Uganda's experience in EVD preparedness. RESULTS: On 4 August 2018, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and the National Task Force (NTF) for public health emergencies to plan, guide, and coordinate EVD preparedness in the country. The NTF selected an Incident Management Team (IMT), constituting a National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) that supported activation of the District Task Forces (DTFs) and District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) that jointly assessed levels of preparedness in 30 designated high-risk districts representing category 1 (20 districts) and category 2 (10 districts). The MoH, with technical guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), led EVD preparedness activities and worked together with other ministries and partner organisations to enhance community-based surveillance systems, develop and disseminate risk communication messages, engage communities, reinforce EVD screening and infection prevention measures at Points of Entry (PoEs) and in high-risk health facilities, construct and equip EVD isolation and treatment units, and establish coordination and procurement mechanisms. CONCLUSION: As of 31 May 2019, there was no confirmed case of EVD as Uganda has continued to make significant and verifiable progress in EVD preparedness. There is a need to sustain these efforts, not only in EVD preparedness but also across the entire spectrum of a multi-hazard framework. These efforts strengthen country capacity and compel the country to avail resources for preparedness and management of incidents at the source while effectively cutting costs of using a "fire-fighting" approach during public health emergencies

Marburg virus disease outbreak in Kween District Uganda, 2017: Epidemiological and laboratory findings.

INTRODUCTION: In October 2017, a blood sample from a resident of Kween District, Eastern Uganda, tested positive for Marburg virus. Within 24 hour of confirmation, a rapid outbreak response was initiated. Here, we present results of epidemiological and laboratory investigations. METHODS: A district task force was activated consisting of specialised teams to conduct case finding, case management and isolation, contact listing and follow up, sample collection and testing, and community engagement. An ecological investigation was also carried out to identify the potential source of infection. Virus isolation and Next Generation sequencing were performed to identify the strain of Marburg virus. RESULTS: Seventy individuals (34 MVD suspected cases and 36 close contacts of confirmed cases) were epidemiologically investigated, with blood samples tested for MVD. Only four cases met the MVD case definition; one was categorized as a probable case while the other three were confirmed cases. A total of 299 contacts were identified; during follow- up, two were confirmed as MVD. Of the four confirmed and probable MVD cases, three died, yielding a case fatality rate of 75%. All four cases belonged to a single family and 50% (2/4) of the MVD cases were female. All confirmed cases had clinical symptoms of fever, vomiting, abdominal pain and bleeding from body orifices. Viral sequences indicated that the Marburg virus strain responsible for this outbreak was closely related to virus strains previously shown to be circulating in Uganda. CONCLUSION: This outbreak of MVD occurred as a family cluster with no additional transmission outside of the four related cases. Rapid case detection, prompt laboratory testing at the Uganda National VHF Reference Laboratory and presence of pre-trained, well-prepared national and district rapid response teams facilitated the containment and control of this outbreak within one month, preventing nationwide and global transmission of the disease

The Challenges of Using Citizen Reporting to Improve Public Services: A Field Experiment on Solid Waste Services in Uganda

Abstract Governments around the world are investing in technologies that allow citizens to participate in the coproduction of public services by providing monitoring and feedback, but there is little evidence about how these initiatives affect the quality of public services. We implemented a large-scale field experiment that involved organizing 50 citizen reporters in each of 100 neighborhoods across Kampala, Uganda, to provide weekly reports to the municipal government about the delivery of solid waste services via an SMS-messaging platform, resulting in 23,856 reports during the 9-month study period. Citizen reporting did not reduce informal waste accumulation as targeted, which would indicate improvements to formal services. Using our observations as participants in the development and deployment of the reporting platform and interviews with staff at the government agency receiving the citizen reports, we show how the public generated inconsistent information that did not fit existing decision-making processes. We generalize lessons from this field experiment by explaining how coproduction involving information sharing through information and communication technologies is likely to affect public services based on the alignment of citizen-produced data with the information problems managers face; the search costs of detecting public services failures; the quality of citizen-produced data; and the operating costs of citizen-reporting platforms

The Challenges of Using Citizen Reporting to Improve Public Services: A Field Experiment on Solid Waste Services in Uganda

Abstract Governments around the world are investing in technologies that allow citizens to participate in the coproduction of public services by providing monitoring and feedback, but there is little evidence about how these initiatives affect the quality of public services. We implemented a large-scale field experiment that involved organizing 50 citizen reporters in each of 100 neighborhoods across Kampala, Uganda, to provide weekly reports to the municipal government about the delivery of solid waste services via an SMS-messaging platform, resulting in 23,856 reports during the 9-month study period. Citizen reporting did not reduce informal waste accumulation as targeted, which would indicate improvements to formal services. Using our observations as participants in the development and deployment of the reporting platform and interviews with staff at the government agency receiving the citizen reports, we show how the public generated inconsistent information that did not fit existing decision-making processes. We generalize lessons from this field experiment by explaining how coproduction involving information sharing through information and communication technologies is likely to affect public services based on the alignment of citizen-produced data with the information problems managers face; the search costs of detecting public services failures; the quality of citizen-produced data; and the operating costs of citizen-reporting platforms

High prevalence of phenotypic pyrazinamide resistance and its association with pncA gene mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Uganda.

INTRODUCTION:Susceptibility testing for pyrazinamide (PZA), a cornerstone anti-TB drug is not commonly done in Uganda because it is expensive and characterized with technical difficulties thus resistance to this drug is less studied. Resistance is commonly associated with mutations in the pncA gene and its promoter region. However, these mutations vary geographically and those conferring phenotypic resistance are unknown in Uganda. This study determined the prevalence of PZA resistance and its association with pncA mutations. MATERIALS AND METHODS:Using a cross-sectional design, archived isolates collected during the Uganda national drug resistance survey between 2008-2011 were sub-cultured. PZA resistance was tested by BACTEC Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) 960 system. Sequence reads were downloaded from the NCBI Library and bioinformatics pipelines were used to screen for PZA resistance-conferring mutations. RESULTS:The prevalence of phenotypic PZA resistance was found to be 21%. The sensitivity and specificity of pncA sequencing were 24% (95% CI, 9.36-45.13%) and 100% (73.54% - 100.0%) respectively. We identified four mutations associated with PZA phenotypic resistance in Uganda; K96R, T142R, R154G and V180F. CONCLUSION:There is a high prevalence of phenotypic PZA resistance among TB patients in Uganda. The low sensitivity of pncA gene sequencing confirms the already documented discordances suggesting other mechanisms of PZA resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The Epidemiologic Charateristics, Healthcare Associated and Household Transmission Dynamics of EVD Outbreak in a South-Southern City of Nigeria

On July 23, 2014, the EVD outbreak was declared in Nigeria following the confirmation of EVD in a traveller, who arrived acutely ill at the international airport in Lagos, South Western Nigeria from Liberia .The outbreak subsequently filtered to a south southern Nigeria city, by a symptomatic contact who escaped surveillance in Lagos and flew to the city, generating 527 contacts, 4 cases and 2 deaths. The cases were household and hospital contacts. Active surveillance should be promptly enforced at domestic airports and inter-state borders as soon as an outbreak is declared to contain its spread locall

The Epidemiologic Charateristics, Healthcare Associated and Household Transmission Dynamics of EVD Outbreak in a South-Southern City of Nigeria

On July 23, 2014, the EVD outbreak was declared in Nigeria following the confirmation of EVD in a traveller, who arrived acutely ill at the international airport in Lagos, South Western Nigeria from Liberia .The outbreak subsequently filtered to a south southern Nigeria city, by a symptomatic contact who escaped surveillance in Lagos and flew to the city, generating 527 contacts, 4 cases and 2 deaths. The cases were household and hospital contacts. Active surveillance should be promptly enforced at domestic airports and inter-state borders as soon as an outbreak is declared to contain its spread locall

Building Bridges between the Sciences and the Arts of Water Co-operation through Collective Action - Reflections:At the Confluence - Selection from the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm

This research article published by Elsevier, 2014This reflection article highlights some of the science that underpins our understanding of cooperation over shared water resources. Power dynamics, hegemony, negotiation theory, social psychology and justice, international relations, conflict-cooperation and global change all contribute to the body of knowledge that scientists, researchers, policy and decision makers and practitioners draw upon in this field. The science is complemented by the necessary art of cooperation which is largely captured in the practice, management and governance of shared water resources. Institutional reform and the establishment of organisations in this context allows for many and varied methods for creating trusting relationships and effective partnerships for cooperation. Both the art and science is supported by the pedagogy of water cooperation which draws on the rich diversity of scientific disciplines and governance arrangements. Collective action can be used as a bridge between the sciences and the arts both in linking theoretical concepts and in linking the scientific and practical implementation of co-operation over shared waters

Evaluation of integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) core and support functions after the revitalisation of IDSR in Uganda from 2012 to 2016

Abstract Background Uganda is a low income country that continues to experience disease outbreaks caused by emerging and re-emerging diseases such as cholera, meningococcal meningitis, typhoid and viral haemorrhagic fevers. The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy was adopted by WHO-AFRO in 1998 as a comprehensive strategy to improve disease surveillance and response in WHO Member States in Africa and was adopted in Uganda in 2000. To address persistent inconsistencies and inadequacies in the core and support functions of IDSR, Uganda initiated an IDSR revitalisation programme in 2012. The objective of this evaluation was to assess IDSR core and support functions after implementation of the revitalised IDSR programme. Methods The evaluation was a cross-sectional survey that employed mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. We assessed IDSR performance indicators, knowledge acquisition, knowledge retention and level of confidence in performing IDSR tasks among health workers who underwent IDSR training. Qualitative data was collected to guide the interpretation of quantitative findings and to establish a range of views related to IDSR implementation. Results Between 2012 and 2016, there was an improvement in completeness of monthly reporting (69 to 100%) and weekly reporting (56 to 78%) and an improvement in timeliness of monthly reporting (59 to 93%) and weekly reporting (40 to 68%) at the national level. The annualised non-polio AFP rate increased from 2.8 in 2012 to 3.7 cases per 100,000 population < 15 years in 2016. The case fatality rate for cholera decreased from 3.2% in 2012 to 2.1% in 2016. All districts received IDSR feedback from the national level. Key IDSR programme challenges included inadequate numbers of trained staff, inadequate funding, irregular supervision and high turnover of trained staff. Recommendations to improve IDSR performance included: improving funding, incorporating IDSR training into pre-service curricula for health workers and strengthening support supervision. Conclusion The revitalised IDSR programme in Uganda was associated with improvements in performance. However in 2016, the programme still faced significant challenges and some performance indicators were still below the target. It is important that the documented gains are consolidated and challenges are continuously identified and addressed as they emerge