Socio-economic impact of Rift Valley fever to pastoralists and agro pastoralists in Arusha, Manyara and Morogoro regions in Tanzania

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral notifiable zoonotic disease primarily of domestic ruminants that causes significant socio-economic impacts. Using the 2006–07 outbreak cases, this study aimed to establish the socio-economic impact of RVF and assessing knowledge, attitude and practice of livestock keepers towards controlling RVF in selected areas of Tanzania. Data were collected in Arusha, Manyara and Morogoro regions using questionnaires, focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with key informants. Results indicate that there was little knowledge on disease (all clinical signs scored <50%) and the difference between the three regions was statistically significant (P = 0.00459). Socio-economic impacts of RVF shown by this study included; animal and human deaths, disruption of livestock market chains, inability of pastoralists to achieve their daily demands, inability to obtain protein leading to malnutrition and monetary loss at individual and national level during control of the disease. These findings have demonstrated low knowledge of the community on RVF, thus, more education and engagement is needed in order to develop more effective and efficient control strategies

Occurrence of Escherichia coli in Brassica rapa L. chinensis irrigated with low quality water in urban areas of Morogoro, Tanzania

Academic Journal Vol. 15(49), pp. 2772-2777,Low quality water has become valuable resource with restricted or unrestricted use in food production depending on its quality. This study has quantified the occurrence of Escherichia coli in Brassica rapa L. chinensis (Chinese cabbage) vegetables and low quality irrigation water. A total of 106 samples including Chinese cabbage (69) and water (37) were collected. The E. coli were cultured in petri film selective E. coli plates at 44°C. The Chinese cabbage irrigated with river water at Fungafunga area indicated significantly (P<0.001) high prevalence 86% (n=21, 0.00-4.10 log cfu/g) of E. coli than those irrigated with treated wastewater at Mazimbu 10% (n=48, 0.00-1.36 log cfu/g). The mean counts of E. coli in untreated wastewater ranged from 4.59 to 5.56 log cfu/mL, while in treated wastewater was from 0.54 to 1.05 log cfu/mL and in river water it was 2.40 log cfu/mL. Treated wastewater of the quality found in this study could be used for food production

Prevalence of the Staphylococcal Enterotoxins Genes in Raw and Milk Products along the Value Chain in Mbeya and Mbozi Districts, Tanzania

The study determined the prevalence of genes coding for Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) from Staphylococcus aureus isolates in milk produced and sold in Mbeya and Mbozi districts in Tanzania. Samples of raw milk (n=300), boiled hot (ready-to-consume) milk (n=72) and sour milk (n=72) were randomly collected from smallholder dairy farmers, milk collection points (MCP) and milk shops. Laboratory analysis showed that 59.7% of the milk samples contained Staphylococcus species. Biochemical tests showed that 12.4% of the isolates were positive for S. aureus, of which 5.6, 2.5 and 4.3% were from samples collected from farmer’s herd milk, MCP and milk shops, respectively. Furthermore, multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (mPCR) results showed that 36.4% of the total S. aureus isolates (n=55) had SEs genes. Frequently observed gene was Sea (32.6%) while Sej was not detected in any of the isolates. The distribution of the SEs genes along the milk market channel showed 35, 15 and 50% of the genes came from isolates samples collected at farm level, MCP and milk shops, respectively. Moreover, no statistical difference were observed for SE coding gene between the districts and seasons, though higher (65%) prevalence of S. aureus isolates carrying SEs genes were observed in dry than wet season (35%). The prevalence of SE coding gene in raw, boiled hot and sour milk were 4.3, 5.6 and 4.2%, respectively. The results obtained show that milk produced and marketed in the two districts contained S. aureus isolates expressing gene for enterotoxins production which pose a potential public health risk. Hence, the results indicate the need to institute proper hygienic measures by all milk stakeholders in order to avoid contamination of milk with S. aureus. Further studies on the diversity and distribution of enterotoxins producing S. aureus in the Southern highlands and other areas in the country are recommended. Keywords: Boiled hot milk, sour milk, enterotoxins, Staphylococcus aureus, Multiplex PC

Cholera hotspots and surveillance constraints contributing to recurrent epidemics in Tanzania

Objective: We described the dynamics of cholera in Tanzania between 2007 and 2017 and assessed the weaknesses of the current surveillance system in providing necessary data in achieving the global roadmap to 2030 for cholera control. Results: The Poisson-based spatial scan identifed cholera hotspots in mainland Tanzania. A zero-infated Poisson regression investigated the relationship between the incidence of cholera and available demographic, socio-economic and climatic exposure variables. Four cholera hotspots were detected covering 17 regions, home to 28 million people, including the central regions and those surrounding the Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyaza. The risk of experiencing cholera in these regions was up to 2.9 times higher than elsewhere in the country. Regression analyses revealed that every 100 km of water perimeter in a region increased the cholera incidence by 1.5%. Due to the compilation of surveillance data at regional level rather than at district, we were unable to reliably identify any other signifcant risk factors and specifc hotspots. Cholera high-risk populations in Tanzania include those living near lakes and central regions. Successful surveillance require disaggregated data available weekly and at district levels in order to serve as data for action to support the roadmap for cholera control.Published versio