Prevalence and risk factors for obstructive respiratory conditions among textile industry workers in Zimbabwe, 2006

INTRODUCTION: Workers in the cotton processing industries risk developing obstructive respiratory conditions due to prolonged exposure to cotton dust. We noted a tenfold increase in asthma among workers in a Textile Manufacturing Company. We determined the prevalence of respiratory obstructive conditions among workers in various sections. METHODS: We conducted a cross sectional analytic study. Workers were randomly sampled and data was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Respiratory function was assessed using spirometry and chest auscultation. A walk through survey was conducted and a checklist was used to capture hazards and control measures in the work place. RESULTS: A total of 194 workers participated. The prevalence of severe respiratory obstruction was 27.8%. It was 50.0% among the blowers, 35.3% in waste recovery, 32.5% in carders, 15.0% in spinners and 7.5% among weavers. The mean years of exposure between the affected and the non-affected were significantly different (T =2.20; p less than 0.05). Working in the blowing department was significantly associated with developing respiratory obstruction (OR=3.53; 95% CI= 1.61- 7.79) but working in the weaving department was significantly protective (OR 0.16; CI 0.04-0.59).Working in a department for less than 10 years was protective (OR =0.94; 95% CI= 0.48- 1.85), but not significant. CONCLUSION: Obstructive respiratory conditions are common among textile workers, with those in blowing and waste recovery sections being the most affected. We recommended worker rotation every six months, regular spirometric screening employment of a medical officer

Addressing the Challenge of P-Value and Sample Size when the Significance is Borderline: The Test of Random Duplication of Participants as a New Approach

The issue of borderline p-value seems to divide health scientists into two schools of thought. One school of thought argues that when the p-value is greater than or equal to the statistical significance cut-off level of 0.05, it should not be considered statistically significant and the null hypothesis should be accepted no matter how close the p-value is to the 0.05. The other school of thought believes that by doing so one might be committing a Type 2 error and possibly missing valuable information. In this paper, we discuss an approach to address this issue and suggest the test of random duplication of participants as a way to interpret study outcomes when the statistical significance is borderline. This discussion shows the irrefutability of the concept of borderline statistical significance, however, it is important that one demonstrates whether a borderline statistical significance is truly borderline or not. Since the absence of statistical significance is not necessarily evidence of absence of effect, one needs to double check if a borderline statistical significance is indeed borderline or not. The p-value should not be looked at as a rule of thumb for accepting or rejecting the null hypothesis but rather as a guide for further action or analysis that leads to correct conclusions

SD Bioline malaria antigen Pf (HRP-2/pLHD) for assessing efficacy of artemisinin combination therapy against Plasmodium falciparum in pediatric patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Introduction: The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is a worrying development. It calls for close surveillance to monitor the efficacy of the drugs. The objectives of this study were to determine the performance of SD Bioline malaria AgPf(HRP-2/pLDH) 3  band Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) against Giemsa-stained blood smear and evaluate the suitability of this test in assessing the therapeutic efficacy of ACT in pediatric malaria patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Methods: Five hundred and one patients with malaria symptoms were screened for P. falciparum in  Kinshasa, DRC. Of the 166 patients who tested positive for P. falciparum at recruitment (day 0), 103 consented to participate in this study and were followed up and retested for P. falciparum on day 3, day 7, day 14, day 21 and day 28. Results: Sensitivity and specificity of the test were significantly high on day 0 and so were their positive and negative predictive values. Higher proportions of false positive cases were observed on the HRP-2 band irrespective of patient parasite densities during the follow up but these were barely seen on the pLDH band. Some patients turned positive during follow up but pLDH readings remained consistent with bloodsmear readings. Conclusion: SD Bioline malaria AgPf(HRP-2/pLDH) RDT demonstrated high performance in DRC. Thus, the test can be employed to assess the efficacy of ACT in pediatric malaria patients and prioritize areas that require the deployment of advanced testing like polymerase chain reaction (PCR).Key words: Malaria, AgPf(HRP-2/pLDH) RDT, artemisinin combination therapy, Democratic Republic of the Cong

SD Bioline malaria antigen Pf (HRP-2/pLHD) for assessing efficacy of artemisinin combination therapy against Plasmodium falciparum in pediatric patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract Introduction: The emergence of Plasmodium falciparum resistance to artemisinin combination therapy (ACT) is a worrying development. It call

Lessons learned during establishment of the college of health sciences of the University of Zimbabwe 1995-2001

Background: The five year training of medical doctors has been conducted through the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zimbabwe since 1963 in two physical sites in Harare; Mount Pleasant Campus for Basic Sciences and Mazowe Street Campus for Clinical Sciences. Annual student enrolment has gradually increased from less than 30 in the early stages to 200 currently. The continuing brain drain of doctors from the country necessitated the Government to instruct the Faculty of Medicine to double its student intake by enrolling a new student intake within three months to address this shortage. Methods: This descriptive longitudinal study is largely complemented by desk review and reflections from the authors who oversaw the evolution of the Faculty into the College. Authors experienced the transition of the institution over most of the study period and shared first-hand information. Results: Instruction from Government was used as an opportunity to develop. The Faculty of Medicine developed and began implementation of its inaugural five year strategic plan 1995-2001. The key tenets of the plan were to be a semi-autonomous institution (in relation to the University of Zimbabwe) comprising five Faculties with a designated teaching hospital under joint administration with Government where academicians were to receive similar emoluments. Clinicians were entitled to additional remuneration from Government for the clinical work delivered. The infrastructure was expanded to accommodate 200 medical students annually at the two sites. A government loan secured from the Spanish Protocol was used to purpose build the Health Sciences Building and equipment to accommodate and equip the five faculties. Discussion: The directive by Government to double medical student intake in order to address the doctor shortages was used as opportunity to address some of the Faculty of Medicine’s academic needs, including infrastructure, professional development and additional academic provisions in line with international trends. The realization of some of the outcomes is on course with the exception of ownership of a teaching hospital, autonomy of the College from the University and additional emoluments for clinicians from government, which are work in progress

Ethics in occupational health : deliberations of an international workgroup addressing challenges in an African context

Background: International codes of ethics play an important role in guiding professional practice in developing countries. In the occupational health setting, codes developed by international agencies have substantial import on protecting working populations from harm. This is particularly so under globalisation which has transformed processes of production in fundamental ways across the globe. As part of the process of revising the Ethical Code of the International Commission on Occupational Health, an Africa Working Group addressed key challenges for the relevance and cogency of an ethical code in occupational health for an African context through an iterative consultative process. Discussion: Firstly, even in the absence of strong legal systems of enforcement, and notwithstanding the value of legal institutionalisation of ethical codes, guidelines alone may offer advantageous routes to enhancing ethical practice in occupational health. Secondly, globalisation has particularly impacted on health and safety at workplaces in Africa, challenging occupational health professionals to be sensitive to, and actively redress imbalance of power. Thirdly, the different ways in which vulnerability is exemplified in the workplace in Africa often places the occupational health professional in invidious positions of Dual Loyalty. Fourth, the particular cultural emphasis in traditional African societies on collective responsibilities within the community impacts directly on how consent should be sought in occupational health practice, and how stigma should be dealt with, balancing individual autonomy with ideas of personhood that are more collective as in the African philosophy of ubuntu. To address stigma, practitioners need to be additionally sensitive to how power imbalances at the workplace intersect with traditional cultural norms related to solidarity. Lastly, particularly in the African context, the inseparability of workplace and community means that efforts to address workplace hazards demand that actions for occupational health extend beyond just the workplace. Summary: A stronger articulation of occupational health practice with advocacy for prevention should be an ethical norm. Ethical codes should ideally harmonize and balance individual and community needs so as to provide stronger moral authority guidelines. There is a need to consider an African Charter on Bioethics as complementary and strengthening of existing codes for the region

HIV hospital admissions attributable to specific opportunistic infections and factors associated with them at a Botswana Referral Hospital

Hospital admissions among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Botswana are high. Opportunistic infections (OIs) are responsible for most of these admissions. Although leading OIs causing these admissions have been identified in the region, their correlates are poorly understood. This study aimed to: 1) evaluate major OIs responsible for admissions among HIV patients at Princess Marina Hospital (PMH) in Botswana; 2) estimate the proportion and identify the most frequent admissions attributable to specific OIs; 3) characterize major correlates of admissions attributable to each specific OIs and identify populations most at risk as a base for effective policy and resource orientation. HIV infected patients were randomly selected from hospital record lists. Biomedical, sociodemographic and economic data were collected from the records and from face-to-face patient interviews and analyzed. Tuberculosis was the most important OI responsible for 234.6 per 1000 HIV admissions. Cryptococcal meningitis accounted for 162.0 per 1000 admissions. Patients with a CD4-cell count 350/µL and females. The risk of admission due to cryptococcal meningitis was also high among patients with low socioeconomic status (SES). Females were more at risk for Cryptosporidium, Bacterial pneumonia (BP), Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (PCP), Herpes and candidiasis-specific admissions than male and, patients not on co-trimoxazole were more likely to be admitted than those on co-trimoxazole.Comprehensive implementation strategies to address OIs among PLWH are needed. To be effective, such strategies should address not only biomedical factors but should also focus on PLWH’s SES