Borehole Water Pollution and its Implication on health on the Rural Communities of Malawi

This study analyzed borehole water quality data collected by the Water Section of the Ministry of Irrigation and Water Development since 1980s. This study was done in order to verify the rightness of the public view that borehole water is synonymous to potable water. The study analyzed water quality data of 5,324 boreholes occurring throughout Malawi. The objective of the study was to determine the extent to which borehole water salts such as: fluorides, nitrates, iron and chlorides are occurring above the concentrations recommended as safe limit of drinking water by the World Health Organization (WHO). The study observes that of the 27,913 boreholes in Malawi, only 5,324 boreholes had been tested for water quality representing about 19.1% of the total boreholes. Of these 1,676 boreholes had chemical concentration above those recommended by WHO for safe limit of drinking water, representing 31.5% of the water quality tested boreholes. The study observed that: 567 boreholes had iron, 142 boreholes had fluorides, 81 boreholes had chlorides and 19 had nitrates above those recommended by WHO for safe limits for drinking water respectively. The implication of these findings is that a large number of rural communities in Malawi are continuously ingesting borehole water that has adverse levels of chemical toxicity. The detrimental impacts on human health of such toxicity may require many years of exposure before their impacts are recognized and by that time many rural communities would already have adversely been affected.Keywords: Borehole water; chemical toxicity; rural communities; ingestio

Drivers and barriers to sustainable fisheries in two peri-urban impoundments in Zimbabwe

Fisheries sustainability is categorised through four conceptual pillars: ecological, economic, and social, including cultural and institutional. Much work on fisheries sustainability has been done in marine fisheries relative to inland fisheries. Two inland peri-urban impoundments, Chivero and Manyame in Zimbabwe, support numerous small-scale fisheries; however, environmental and socioeconomic variables threaten the sustainability of the fisheries. This study aimed to identify and contextualise drivers and barriers to sustainability of small-scale fisheries in these two peri-urban impoundments. We applied three frameworks, Fishery Performance Indicators, Community-Based Fishery Indicators and FAO Small-Scale Fisheries Indicators, to identify and contextualise the drivers and barriers. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from fishers in the two impoundments. A structured questionnaire was administered to 115 fishers in 23 fishing companies operating in the two lakes. Fisheries income and revenue as well as food security are key drivers. Lack of postharvest equipment, volatile fish markets, water quality and quantity deterioration and fish stock decreases are key barriers to sustainability of fisheries in the two impoundments. There are subtle differences in the extent and impact of the drivers and barriers of fisheries sustainability in the two lakes. The differences relate to the uniqueness of the aquatic habitats, social constructs and fisheries operational frameworks in each lake. This suggests a need to assess fisheries sustainability using an integrated bottom-up approach starting from individual fisheries < community fisheries < global/generic fisheries.Keywords: peri-urban fisheries, food security, water resource conservation, water pollution, sustainabilit

Influence of gendered roles on legume utilization and improved child dietary intake in Malawi

The relationship between gender roles, legume production, utilization and child feeding practices in rural smallholder households of Dedza and Ntcheu districts in Malawi was investigated and analyzed. A cross-sectional research study was conducted with legume farming households with children aged 6-23 months who were part of the Africa RISING ‘mother trial’ or ‘baby trials’ for two farming seasons (2014/2015 to 2015/2016). Africa RISING project encourages smallholder farmers to grow legumes namely, groundnut (Arachis hypogaea), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) and soya bean (Glycin max) as one way of improving the wellbeing of smallholder farmers. The key objective of the research was to assess the influence of gender roles, legume production, utilization and infant and young child dietary intake. In total, 291 households with children 6-23 months were targeted. Eight focus group discussions (FDGs) for in-depth qualitative data were conducted. Two 24-hour dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaires were used to collect data on infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Data collected were extracted, arranged, recorded and analyzed by using SPSS version 21. About 18% of children aged 6-23 months received a minimum dietary diversity (the consumption of four or more food groups from the seven food groups), 2.5% received a minimum acceptable diet (indicator measures both the minimum feeding frequency and minimum dietary diversity, as appropriate for various age groups) and 37.5% of children received a minimum meal frequency (frequency of receiving solid, semi-solid, or soft foods at the minimum numbers of two and three times for children aged 6–8 months, and 9–23 months, respectively). Control on use of income by women had a positive and significant association with minimum dietary diversity (P<0.05), minimum meal frequency (P<0.05) and minimum acceptable diets (P<0.05) among children of both sexes. Children aged 6-23 months from households where women were actively involved in partial processing and budgeting of legumes met minimum dietary diversity than children from nonparticipating households. Women farmers were more knowledgeable about legumes; played an important role in seed selection, storage and processing; however, the findings signal an opportunity to increase women’s income by involving them in market information. Increasing legume production at household level does not mean increasing the nutritional status among children (6-23 months). Several factors related to gender roles, markets accessibility and legume utilization have an effect on infant and young child feeding practices

Development of a public audiology service in Southern Malawi: profile of patients across two years

Objective To describe the profile of patients attending the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) audiology clinic in Malawi, over a two-year period (2016–2017). Design A retrospective patient record review. Study sample There were 2299 patients assessed at the QECH audiology department between January 2016 and December 2017. Adult patients’ ages ranged from 18 to 94 years (M = 45.8, SD = 19.22). The mean age of children included in this study was 7.7 years (SD= 5.21). Overall, 45.4% of patients were female. Results Of the 61.6% of adults and 41.7% of children found to have some degree of hearing loss, 28.3% and 15.4% were fitted with hearing aids, respectively. The number of patients seen in 2017 (n = 1385) was 34% higher than that of 2016 (n = 914). Conclusion This study found that demand for hearing services is increasing in this public sector Malawian audiology department but uptake of hearing aids for those in need is low. Future evaluation of service provision and treatment outcomes is needed. Results from this study can be used to inform the development of future audiology clinics in low resource settings

Carbon Emissions and Economic Growth in South Africa: A Quantile Regresison Analysis

Of recent carbon emissions have become an increasing concern for economies worldwide. In this study we investigate the relationship between carbon emissions and economic growth for the South African economy, one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide worldwide. We employ the quantile regression methodology which is applied to annual data covering a period of 1970 to 2014. Our empirical results indicate that very low levels of carbon emissions are most beneficial towards economic growth. Our results thus encourage policymakers to continue to embark on energy efficiency programmes which specifically target lower levels of carbon pollution. Keywords: Carbon Emissions; Economic growth; Environmental Kuznets curve; South Africa; Quantile regressions. JEL Classifications: C13; C32; C51; Q43; Q53

Community-linked maternal death review (CLMDR) to measure and prevent maternal mortality: a pilot study in rural Malawi.

In Malawi, maternal mortality remains high. Existing maternal death reviews fail to adequately review most deaths, or capture those that occur outside the health system. We assessed the value of community involvement to improve capture and response to community maternal deaths

Integration of Sugar Markets between Swaziland and its Major Trading Partners

The study was designed to examine the extent of market integration between Swaziland sugar markets and its major trading partners (i.e., South Africa, EU and USA) using monthly export sugar price data from January 2001 to December 2013. Price series were tested for stationarity with the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test and it was found that all prices were integrated of order one I (1). Zivot and Andrews test was used to determine the structural break in the price series and it revealed that the Swaziland and USA price break was in August, 2009 while for the EU price break was in October, 2008. Price relationships were examined in one period (entire period) and two sub-periods (before structural break and after structural break). The Johansen’s cointegration test revealed long-run integration for almost all the pairs of sugar markets, except for the USA in the full sample period. The integrations between the markets shows a significant improvement after the structural break. The Vector Error Correction model (VECM) estimates showed that the Swaziland’s  export market prices adjust significantly to the short-run shocks that appeared in the South African’s and EU’s sugar market for the entire period while when the structural breaks period was allowed it adjusts significantly before the break for the South African’s market. Swaziland’s market only adjusts significantly to the EU and USA market shocks after the structural break. The overall coefficient of the adjustment parameter has been very low due to high government interventions in the sugar sector by the Swaziland trading partners which is an impediment to the efficient market functioning. It is therefore suggested that interventions of the respective governments should be reduced for efficient functioning of the markets Keywords: sugar, trading partners, cointegration, stationarity, structural brea

Evidence of improving antiretroviral therapy treatment delays: an analysis of eight years of programmatic outcomes in Blantyre, Malawi

Background: Impressive achievements have been made towards achieving universal coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the effects of rapid ART scale-up on delays between HIV diagnosis and treatment initiation have not been well described. Methods: A retrospective cohort study covering eight years of ART initiators (2004–2011) was conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi. The time between most recent positive HIV test and ART initiation was calculated and temporal trends in delay to initiation were described. Factors associated with time to initiation were investigated using multivariate regression analysis. Results: From 2004–2011, there were 15,949 ART initiations at QECH (56% female; 8% children [0–10 years] and 5%adolescents [10–20 years]). Male initiators were likely to have more advanced HIV infection at initiation than female initiators (70% vs. 64% in WHO stage 3 or 4). Over the eight years studied, there were declines in treatment delay, with 2011 having the shortest delay at 36.5 days. On multivariate analysis CD4 count <50 cells/μl (adjusted geometric mean ratio [aGMR]: aGMR: 0.53, bias-corrected accelerated [BCA] 95% CI: 0.42-0.68) was associated with shorter ART treatment delay. Women (aGMR: 1.12, BCA 95% CI: 1.03-1.22) and patients diagnosed with HIV at another facility outside QECH (aGMR: 1.61, BCA 95% CI: 1.47-1.77) had significantly longer treatment delay. Conclusions: Continued improvements in treatment delays provide evidence that universal access to ART can be achieved using the public health approach adopted by Malawi However, the longer delays for women and patients diagnosed at outlying sites emphasises the need for targeted interventions to support equitable access for these groups