Water quality assessment in Bangwe Township, Blantyre City, Malawi

This study assessed microbial contamination of water in sources (boreholes and open wells) and selected households in four Malawian villages (situated in Bangwe Township, Blantyre city) by analyzing the presence of faecal coliforms using membrane filtration. Additionally, pH, conductivity and temperature of the water sources were also determined. Conductivity ranged from 150.5 to 1575 μS/cm. About 70% of all water sources were above World Health Organization (WHO) and Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) limits for conductivity (indicating salty water in the area). Water temperature ranged from 21.5 to 24.7°C and pH from 5.28 to 6.95 with no significant difference (p > 0.05) for these physical parameters among the sampling points. Water pH was within MBS range while 60% of water sources were below WHO range. Faecal coliform levels exceeding WHO and MBS safe standards were observed in 79% of all samples analysed in this study. Mean household faecal coliform levels were as follows (village (mean)); Nalivata (437 CFU/100 mL), Mpingwe 1 (172 CFU/100 mL), Mpingwe (266 CFU/100 mL) and Salvation Army (15 CFU/100 mL). All mean faecal coliform counts were above WHO (0  CFU/100 mL) and MBS (0 CFU/100 mL) safe values. The results suggest that the quality of water in the villages often fails to meet one or more WHO and MBS recommended safe levels as such, poses a potential risk to the health of those individuals living in such villages. Local and National Governments should therefore target the provision of safe water to such populations. The findings of this study also highlight the need for improved dissemination of good hygienic practices amongst such communities.Key words: Boreholes, drinking water, faecal coliforms, health, pollution

Covid-19 and the Return of the State in Africa

Abstract: As African countries battled the Covid-19 crisis in 2020, one of the questions that were raised was whether the state was taking a central stage in the affairs of society, especially solutions to major problems. The question was triggered by the fact that there has been a decline in the capacity, role and prestige of the state in Africa for decades. Yet it seems that the responses to Covid-19, following the WHO guidelines, have placed the state at the centre, without dislocating other stakeholders like the private sector and the civil society. This paper uses the evidence from a select number of African countries of different sizes in various regions of the continent to provide an empirical perspective on the role of the state in Covid-19 responses in 2020 to answer the question of whether Covid-19 has occasioned a return of the state, thus reversing the neoliberal designs in favour of a lean and mean state in Africa

Biogas production potential from co-digestion of composted faecal sludge mixed with rice husks and sawdust

The global demand for energy is increasing, with 80% of total energy obtained from fossil fuels rich in greenhouse gases. Biogas is an effective alternative to fossil fuels. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating biogas production potential from co-digestion of com posted faecal sludge (FS) mixed with rice husks (RH) and sawdust (SD). FS of 2000g, 3000g was mixed with RH and SD (2mm, 4mm). The ratios for RH and SD were 1: 0, 0: 1, 1: 1, 3: 1, 1: 3; each mixed with FS, composted for 20days followed by biogas production. Quantity and quality of biogas were measured using water and NaOH displacements, respectively. CH4 con tent ranged between 74-76%. Digester with 2000g FS and 100g RH (4mm) performed excel lently, producing 17.2 L of biogas. Conclusively, RH, SD and FS have potential to produce biogas. However, a comparative study should be done on fresh and composted materials to assess the influence of composting on biogas production

Two 'transitions': the political economy of Joyce Banda's rise to power and the related role of civil society organisations in Malawi

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Review of African Political Economy on 21/07/2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03056244.2014.90194

Biogas production potential from co-digestion of composted faecal sludge mixed with rice husks and sawdust

The global demand for energy is increasing, with 80% of total energy obtained from fossil fuels rich in greenhouse gases. Biogas is an effective alternative to fossil fuels. Thus, this study aimed at evaluating biogas production potential from co-digestion of com posted faecal sludge (FS) mixed with rice husks (RH) and sawdust (SD). FS of 2000g, 3000g was mixed with RH and SD (2mm, 4mm). The ratios for RH and SD were 1: 0, 0: 1, 1: 1, 3: 1, 1: 3; each mixed with FS, composted for 20days followed by biogas production. Quantity and quality of biogas were measured using water and NaOH displacements, respectively. CH4 con tent ranged between 74-76%. Digester with 2000g FS and 100g RH (4mm) performed excel lently, producing 17.2 L of biogas. Conclusively, RH, SD and FS have potential to produce biogas. However, a comparative study should be done on fresh and composted materials to assess the influence of composting on biogas production

Physical factors contributing to rural water supply functionality performance in Malawi

This report communicates the findings generated from one of the project surveys – deconstruction and forensic analysis of 50 individual water points in Malawi. The report presents the new data generated to Malawi’s groundwater resource potential; the nature and condition of hand-pump borehole installations; and the significance of both of these factors to service performance. Based on the evidence collected, the main physical factor affecting functionality performance within Malawi is shown to be the poor condition of handpump components. Functionality of handpumps is considerably higher than in the other study countries, Ethiopia and Uganda, and the resource potential, depth to groundwater and recharge are generally favourable. Improved systems for rapid maintenance and repair would help increase functionality further. This finding should not, however, be considered to be the only driving force of functionality outcomes in these regions of Malawi, and the results of this survey need to be examined alongside the wider project findings. Wider institutional arrangements, resources and dynamics, are likely to play a significant role in the implementation of appropriate borehole construction, siting and design; procurement processes; and the management capacity available for water points at national to local levels

Training community healthcare workers on the use of information and communication technologies: a randomised controlled trial of traditional versus blended learning in Malawi, Africa

Background: Despite the increasing uptake of information and communication technologies (ICT) within healthcare services across developing countries, community healthcare workers (CHWs) have limited knowledge to fully utilise computerised clinical systems and mobile apps. The ‘Introduction to Information and Communication Technology and eHealth’ course was developed with the aim to provide CHWs in Malawi, Africa, with basic knowledge and computer skills to use digital solutions in healthcare delivery. The course was delivered using a traditional and a blended learning approach. Methods: Two questionnaires were developed and tested for face validity and reliability in a pilot course with 20 CHWs. Those were designed to measure CHWs’ knowledge of and attitudes towards the use of ICT, before and after each course, as well as their satisfaction with each learning approach. Following validation, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the two learning approaches. A total of 40 CHWs were recruited, stratified by position, gender and computer experience, and allocated to the traditional or blended learning group using block randomisation. Participants completed the baseline and follow-up questionnaires before and after each course to assess the impact of each learning approach on their knowledge, attitudes, and satisfaction. Per-item, pre-post and between-group, mean differences for each approach were calculated using paired and unpaired t-tests, respectively. Per-item, between-group, satisfaction scores were compared using unpaired t-tests. Results: Scores across all scales improved after attending the traditional and blended learning courses. Self-rated ICT knowledge was significantly improved in both groups with significant differences between groups in seven domains. However, actual ICT knowledge scores were similar across groups. There were no significant differences between groups in attitudinal gains. Satisfaction with the course was generally high in both groups. However, participants in the blended learning group found it more difficult to follow the content of the course. Conclusions: This study shows that there is no difference between blended and traditional learning in the acquisition of actual ICT knowledge among community healthcare workers in developing countries. Given the human resource constraints in remote resource-poor areas, the blended learning approach may present an advantageous alternative to traditional learning

Intracellular survival of Streptococcus pneumoniae in human alveolar macrophages is augmented with HIV infection

People Living with HIV (PLHIV) are at an increased risk of pneumococcal pneumonia than HIV-uninfected adults, but the reasons for this are still not well understood. We investigated whether alveolar macrophages (AM) mediated control of pneumococcal infection is impaired in PLHIV compared to HIV-uninfected adults. We assessed anti-bactericidal activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae of primary human AM obtained from PLHIV and HIV-uninfected adults. We found that pneumococcus survived intracellularly in AMs at least 24 hours post ex vivo infection, and this was more frequent in PLHIV than HIV-uninfected adults. Corroborating these findings, in vivo evidence showed that PLHIV had a higher propensity for harboring S. pneumoniae within their AMs than HIV-uninfected adults. Moreover, bacterial intracellular survival in AMs was associated with extracellular propagation of pneumococcal infection. Our data suggest that failure of AMs to eliminate S. pneumoniae intracellularly could contribute to the increased risk of pneumococcal pneumonia in PLHIV

Addressing Inequity to Achieve the Maternal and Child Health Millennium Development Goals: Looking Beyond Averages.

Inequity in access to and use of child and maternal health interventions is impeding progress towards the maternal and child health Millennium Development Goals. This study explores the potential health gains and equity impact if a set of priority interventions for mothers and under fives were scaled up to reach national universal coverage targets for MDGs in Tanzania. We used the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to estimate potential reductions in maternal and child mortality and the number of lives saved across wealth quintiles and between rural and urban settings. High impact maternal and child health interventions were modelled for a five-year scale up, by linking intervention coverage, effectiveness and cause of mortality using data from Tanzania. Concentration curves were drawn and the concentration index estimated to measure the equity impact of the scale up. In the poorest population quintiles in Tanzania, the lives of more than twice as many mothers and under-fives were likely to be saved, compared to the richest quintile. Scaling up coverage to equal levels across quintiles would reduce inequality in maternal and child mortality from a pro rich concentration index of -0.11 (maternal) and -0.12 (children) to a more equitable concentration index of -0,03 and -0.03 respectively. In rural areas, there would likely be an eight times greater reduction in maternal deaths than in urban areas and a five times greater reduction in child deaths than in urban areas. Scaling up priority maternal and child health interventions to equal levels would potentially save far more lives in the poorest populations, and would accelerate equitable progress towards maternal and child health MDGs