Control of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia: knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices in Narok district of Kenya

CBPP is an important transboundary disease in sub-Saharan Africa whose control is urgent. Participatory data collection involving 52 focus group discussions in 37 village clusters and key informant interviews, a cross-sectional study involving 232 households and a post-vaccination follow up involving 203 households was carried out in 2006–2007 in Narok South district of Kenya. This was to investigate knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices (KAPP) associated with control of CBPP as well as the adverse post-vaccination reactions in animals in order to advice the control policy. The community perceived trans-boundary CBPP threat to their cattle. They had traditional disease coping mechanisms and were conversant with CBPP prevention and control with 49.8% (95%CI: 42.8–56.7%) giving priority to CBPP control. However, 12.9% (95%CI: 9.0–18.1%) of pastoralists had no knowledge of any prevention method and 10.0% (95%CI: 6.5–14.7%) would not know what to do or would do nothing in the event of an outbreak. Although 43.5% (95%CI: 37.1–50.2%) of pastoralists were treating CBPP cases with antimicrobials, 62.5% (95%CI: 52.1–71.7%) of them doubted the effectiveness of the treatments. Pastoralists perceived vaccination to be the solution to CBPP but vaccination was irregular due to unavailability of the vaccine. Vaccination was mainly to control outbreaks rather than preventive and exhibited adverse post-vaccination reactions among 70.4% (95%CI: 63.6–76.5%) of herds and 3.8% (95%CI: 3.5–4.2%) of animals. Consequently, nearly 25.2% (95%CI: 18.5–33.2%) of pastoralists may resist subsequent vaccinations against CBPP. Pastoralists preferred CBPP vaccination at certain times of the year and that it is combined with other vaccinations. In conclusion, pastoralists were not fully aware of the preventive measures and interventions and post-vaccination reactions may discourage subsequent CBPP vaccinations. Consequently there is need for monitoring and management of post vaccination reactions and awareness creation on CBPP prevention and interventions and their merits and demerits. CBPP vaccine was largely unavailable to the pastoralists and the preference of the pastoralists was for vaccination at specified times and vaccine combinations which makes it necessary to avail the vaccine in conformity with the pastoralists preferences. In addition, planning vaccinations should involve pastoralists and neighbouring countries. As the results cannot be generalized, further studies on CBPP control methods and their effectiveness are recommended

Maternal micronutrient status and decreased growth of Zambian infants born during and after the maize price increases resulting from the southern African drought of 2001-2002.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects on maternal micronutrient status and infant growth of the increased maize prices that resulted from the southern African drought of 2001-2002. DESIGN: Longitudinal cohort study. SETTING: A maternal and child health clinic in Lusaka, Zambia. SUBJECTS: Maternal and infant health and nutrition data and maternal plasma were being collected for a study of breast-feeding and postpartum health. Samples and data were analysed according to whether they were collected before (June to December 2001), during (January 2002 to April 2003) or after (May 2003 to January 2004) the period of increased maize price. Season and maternal HIV status were controlled for in analyses. RESULTS: Maize price increases were associated with decreased maternal plasma vitamin A during pregnancy (P = 0.028) and vitamin E postpartum (P = 0.042), with the lowest values among samples collected after May 2003 (vitamin A: 0.96 micromol l(-1), 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.84-1.09, n = 38; vitamin E: 30.8 micromol mmol(-1) triglycerides, 95% CI 27.2-34.8, n = 64) compared with before January 2002 (vitamin A: 1.03 micromol l(-1), 95% CI 0.93-1.12, n = 104; vitamin E: 38.9 micromol mmol(-1) triglycerides, 95% CI 34.5-43.8, n = 47). There were no significant effects of sampling date on maternal weight, haemoglobin or acute-phase proteins and only marginal effects on infant weight. Infant length at 6 and 16 weeks of age decreased progressively throughout the study (P-values for time of data collection were 0.51 at birth, 0.051 at 6 weeks and 0.026 at 16 weeks). CONCLUSIONS: The results show modest effects of the maize price increases on maternal micronutrient status. The most serious consequence of the price increases is likely to be the increased stunting among infants whose mothers experienced high maize prices while pregnant. During periods of food shortages it might be advisable to provide micronutrient supplements even to those who are less food-insecure

Environmental Challenge and Water Access in Africa: Empirical Evidences based on Nigeria’s Households Survey

One of the environmental challenges is the effect on water availability and water-related diseases accounts for 80 percent of sicknesses in developing countries. Despite this, there has remained increasing research on poverty reduction, with little emphasis on water access particularly in Africa. Using micro-level data from survey conducted by the World Bank and National Bureau of Statistics, covering over 5,000 households and 27,000 household members across the 36 States of Nigeria, the study formulates an econometric model. The results from logistic regression analysis show that the main determinants of households access to water include: age of the household members, the marital status, the sector where the household member works, the type of employment, the number of working hours, access to informal means of financial credit and the income level of the household, among others. Some recommendations on how to boost water access of households are made in the study

Environment challenges in Africa: further dimensions to the trade, MNCs and energy debate

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the linkage between environmental challenges, multinational corporations (MNCs) activities, trade and energy in Africa; and further elaborate on the role of institutions, as an intervening variable. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, the authors extended the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) model by including indicators of the presence of MNCs, trade and energy in the basic EKC model that has measures of environmental pollution (CO2), economic growth (gross domestic product per capita) and its squared value. The role of institutions was also considered and included as an inter-mediating variable. This model was tested on a sample of 27 African countries, for the period 1996-2010. The systems GMM was applied for the empirical analysis. This approach was aimed at circumventing the possibility of reverse causality and endogenous explanatory variables-such as institutions. Findings – Trade and MNCs’ activities may not have much contemporaneous impact on the environment. However, their lagged values have adverse and significant influence on the current values of environmental challenge. This implies that environmental policies regarding trade and MNCs require time response lag. Energy was significant only at contemporaneous value but not at its lagged value. Institutional development helps to suppress the negative excesses (like pollution) from the activities of trade, MNCs and energy, and consequently reduce environmental pollution. Originality/value – This paper included the role of institutions in the environmental pollution, trade, MNCs and energy debate. Empirical studies in this regard have inadvertently excluded this variable, but have, at best, included it as part of policy recommendations

Beyond the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Africa: Evidence from Panel Cointegration

The main objective of this study is to establish the applicability of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in explaining the relationship between environmental pollution and development in Africa. The EKC has been used to explain such relationships in a variety of contexts, yet rarely applied in Africa, despite it hosting both the poorest countries in the world, 60% of those with extreme environmental pollution vulnerability and having a distinct socio-economic and institutional profile that tests the validity of such a model. This paper describes an empirical model that applies the EKC hypothesis and its modifications to 50 African countries, using data from 1995–2010. The empirical analysis suggests that there is a long-term relationship between CO2 and particulate matter emissions with per capita income and other variables, including institutional factors and trade, leading to specific recommendations on future strategies for sustainable development in an African context

Isolation rates and antimicrobial sensitivity patterns of bovine mastitis pathogens in peri-urban area of Nairobi, Kabete, Kenya

A retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial sensitivity to commonly occurring bovine mastitis pathogens in the peri-urban area of Nairobi between 1994 and 2004. Samples were mainly drawn from the area covered by the ambulatory services of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Veterinary Clinic in Kabete, Nairobi.A total of 888 isolates were studied from bacterial cultures obtained from the bovine samples collected at the clinic. The most common microbial isolates were Streptococcus species (20.6%), Staphylococcus species (20.1%), Escherichia coli (16.8%), Klebsiella species (15.4%), Actinomyces (13.9%) and Pseudomonas species (8.3%). The study showed that sensitivity to antimicrobial agents was highest for gentamycin and kanamycin while it was moderate to low for penicillin, ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, amoxicillin and penicillin-dihydrostreptomycin. The results of the study however did not show any clear trend in sensitivity to antimicrobial agents over the 11-years period

Agents and Implications of Foreign Land Deals in East African Community: The Case of Uganda

Some of the factors that have been attributed to the global increase of Foreign Land Deals (FLDs) include the three Fs (food, fuel, and finance) crises, among others. However, most of the empirical evidence stems from the assessment of a broad set of countries. An analysis on the main determinants across host communities within a country presents specificity and closer reality. This chapter contributes by examining the community factors that could exert significant influence on determining whether or not a community receives FLDs in East African Community (EAC), focusing on Uganda. Uganda is an interesting case to investigate because the country is one of the destinations of FLDs in EAC, apart from Kenya and Tanzania. Taking it one step further, the chapter investigates the possible implications of FLDs on the host communities in terms of improvement (or deterioration) on selected community outcome variables: the quality and services relating to education, road, water, and health facilities

Female Labor Outcomes and Large-scale Land Investments in Tanzania

The current transformation of the agricultural sector in many African countries has been perceived to be connected to land resources and the quest to advance agriculture as a commercial enterprise. The main expectations in this agricultural transformation include increased productivity, job creation, and rural development. This paper examines to what extent this alleged transformation has delivered on its promises, particularly for rural women. We conduct comparative analyses using the Living Standards Measurement Study-Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) dataset, complemented with a survey from two case studies of large-scale land investments (LLIs) in Kilombero district, Morogoro region, Tanzania. The finding from the study shows that the LLIs have no significant effect on agricultural wage. However, the results show that LLIs have a negative effect on the welfare of female-headed households located in communities with LLIs. Looking at the case studies, however, we find that female-headed households working in the LLIs earned slightly lower agricultural wage compared to those not working in the LLIs. This implies that the use of LLIs in Tanzania to drive agricultural transformation requires better targeting of potential beneficiaries

Seroprevalence of bovine leukemia virus infection in contrasting farming systems in Kenya

Enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) is a worldwide disease of cattle caused by the bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and clinically characterised by occurrence of multiple lympho-sarcomas. In Kenya, cases of bovine lympho-sarcomas have been reported but limited information available on prevalence and distribution of BLV infection in the country. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to estimate the seroprevalence of BLV infection in Kenya and how the seroprevalence is affected by different livestock farming systems. In 2016, 1383 bovine serum samples were randomly collected from 14 counties which were purposively selected to represent 3 livestock farming systems in the country. The sera were tested for the presence of antibodies against BLV using the IDEXX anti–BLV indirect ELISA test. An overall seroprevalence of 7.6% (95% CI: 6.3% - 9.1%) BLV infection was estimated. A multivariable mixed logistic regression model, with county as a random variable controlling for clustering, identified age and farming system as significant risk factors associated with BLV seropositivity. Zero-grazing (0.6%), ranching (4.4%) and pastoral systems (18.3%) differed in seroprevalence. Cattle under 1 year of age had a prevalence of 6.4%, while cattle over 1 year of age had a prevalence of 7.9%. BLV infection was present across the three farming systems but in only five of the fourteen counties assessed. This information contributes to designing effort on control programs of BLV infection in Kenya. Further research should be carried out to determine the frequency of clinical cases of EBL and the impact on the livestock industry in Kenya.Keywords: Bovine Leukemia Virus; Cattle, Seroprevalence; Keny

Activity Budget and Foraging Patterns of Nubian Giraffes (\u3cem\u3eGiraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis\u3c/em\u3e) in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya

How animals decide to spend their time has a key impact on their survival and reproduction. These behavioral decisions are shaped by ecological and environmental factors, such as seasonal changes. Foraging patterns show how an animal chooses to forage in its environment as influenced by resource availability, competition, and predation risk. Giraffe activity budget has been investigated in populations across Africa and found to be influenced by body size, diet composition, and sex. The activity budget and foraging patterns of Nubian giraffes vary considerably between ecosystems. The Nubian giraffe, a subspecies of the Northern giraffe species (Giraffa Camelopardalis) is a critically endangered population and occurs only within Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Southern Sudan. We performed 3 months of behavioral observation on a population of Nubian giraffes in Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya, to assess seasonal activity budgets and foraging patterns. We found that in the wet and dry seasons giraffe spent approximately the same amount of time (53% and 57%, respectively) foraging. Movement and resting duration decreased slightly from dry to wet seasons 22% to 20% and 25% to 22% respectively. Across both seasons, Vachellia xanthophloea (67%), Maytenus senegalensis (19%), and Solanum incanum (9%) made up the bulk of giraffe\u27s diet. In the dry season, giraffes additionally foraged on Maerua triphylla (2%), Vachellia gerrardi (2%), and Grewia similis (1%); in the wet season, they added Vachellia abyssinica (2%) and Rhus natalensis (2%) to their diet. The most utilized browsing height was 3.5 meters (level 5), below their average height. Giraffes browse at lower heights after they consume the young shoots from the top of the bushes. Overall, seasonality did not appear to influence the Nubian giraffe\u27s activity budget or foraging patterns in LNNP. Planting perennial plants encourage uniform park resource use, boosts forage diversity, and minimizes Vachellia browsing pressure