A Mobile based rent collection system

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Mobile Telecommunication and Innovation at (MSc.MTI) at Strathmore UniversityMore than a third of Kenyans live in urban centers, majority of whom live in individual rental units. The proliferation of mobile phones and mobile money services in these urban centers surpasses 80% and 91.6% respectively. However, majority of these tenants still pay rent using traditional methods either by cash or through bank deposits. Generally, bank deposits take time before reflecting on the property owners’ end while cash payments require property managers to meet with their tenants each month for the collection of rent. Majority of property owners are not able to track their tenants’ payments when the payment method is bank deposits or cash payment

p16INK4a/Ki-67 dual stain cytology for cervical cancer screening in Thika district, Kenya

Background: The identification of suited early detection tests is one among the multiple requirements to reduce cervical cancer incidence in developing countries. Methods: We evaluated p16INK4a/Ki-67 dual-stain cytology in a screening population in Thika district, Kenya and compared it to high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) DNA testing and visual inspection by acetic acid (VIA) and Lugol’s iodine (VILI). Results: Valid results for all tests could be obtained in 477 women. 20.9 % (100/477) were tested positive for HR-HPV DNA, 3.1 % (15/477) had positive VIA/VILI and 8.2 % (39/477) positive p16INK4a/Ki-67 cytology. Of 22 women that showed up for colposcopy and biopsy, 6 women were diagnosed with CIN3 and two with CIN2. All women with CIN2/3 were negative in VIA/VILI screening and positive by HR-HPV DNA testing. But HPV was also positive in 91.7 % (11/12) of women with normal histology. p16INK4a/Ki-67 cytology was positive in all 6 women with CIN3, in one of the two CIN2 and in only 8.3 % (1/12) of women with normal histology. Conclusions: p16INK4a/Ki-67 cytology is an interesting test for further studies in developing countries, since our findings point to a lower fraction of false positive test results using p16INK4a/Ki-67 cytology compared to HPV DNA testing in a Kenyan screening population. VIA/VILI missed all histology-proven CIN2/3

The sociology of cancer: a decade of research

Biomedicine is often presented as the driving force behind improvements in cancer care, with genomics the latest innovation poised to change the meaning, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and lived experience of cancer. Reviewing sociological analyses of a diversity of patient and practitioner experiences and accounts of cancer during the last decade (2007–17), we explore the experiences of, approaches to and understandings of cancer in this period. We identify three key areas of focus: (i) cancer patient experiences and identities; (ii) cancer risk and responsibilities and (iii) bioclinical collectives. We explore these sociological studies of societal and biomedical developments and how sociologists have sought to influence developments in cancer identities, care and research. We end by suggesting that we extend our understanding of innovations in the fields of cancer research to take better account of these wider social and cultural innovations, together with patients, activists' and sociologists' contributions therein

Disclosure and Clinical Outcomes Among Young Adolescents Living With HIV in Kenya

PurposeInforming adolescents of their own HIV infection is critical as the number of adolescents living with HIV increases. We assessed the association between HIV disclosure and retention in care and mortality among adolescents aged 10-14 years in Kenya's national program.MethodsWe abstracted routinely collected patient-level data for adolescents enrolled into HIV care in 50 health facilities from November 1, 2004, through March 31, 2010. We defined disclosure as any documentation that the adolescent had been fully or partially made aware of his or her HIV status. We compared weighted proportions for categorical variables using χ2 and weighted logistic regression to identify predictors of HIV disclosure; we estimated the probability of LTFU using Kaplan-Meier methods and dying using Cox regression-based test for equality of survival curves.ResultsOf the 710 adolescents aged 10-14 years analyzed; 51.3% had severe immunosuppression, 60.3% were in WHO stage 3 or 4, and 36.6% were aware of their HIV status. Adolescents with HIV-infected parents, histories of opportunistic infections (OIs), and enrolled in support groups were more likely to be disclosed to. At 36 months, disclosure was associated with lower mortality [1.5% (95% CI .6%-4.1%) versus 5.4% (95% CI 3.6.6%-8.0%, p < .001)] and lower LTFU [6.2% (95% CI 3.0%-12.6%) versus 33.9% (95% CI 27.3%-41.1%) p < .001].ConclusionsOnly one third of HIV-infected Kenyan adolescents in treatment programs had been told they were infected, and knowing their HIV status was associated with reduced LTFU and mortality. The disclosure process should be systematically encouraged and organized for HIV-infected adolescents

Utilization of dried blood spot specimens can expedite nationwide surveillance of HIV drug resistance in resource-limited settings.

INTRODUCTION:Surveillance of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) is crucial to ensuring the continued success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs. With the concern of reduced genotyping sensitivity of HIV on dried blood spots (DBS), DBS for HIVDR surveillance have been limited to ART-naïve populations. To investigate if DBS under certain conditions may also be a feasible sample type for HIVDR testing in ART patients, we piloted nationwide surveys for HIVDR among ART patients using DBS in two African countries with rapid scale-up of ART. METHODS:EDTA-venous blood was collected to prepare DBS from adult and pediatric ART patients receiving treatment during the previous 12-36 months. DBS were stored at ambient temperature for two weeks and then at -80°C until shipment at ambient temperature to the WHO-designated Specialized HIVDR Laboratory at CDC in Atlanta. Viral load (VL) was determined using NucliSENS EasyQ® HIV-1 v2.0 kits; HIVDR genotyping was performed using the ATCC HIV-1 Drug Resistance Genotyping kits. RESULTS:DBS were collected from 1,368 and 1,202 ART patients; 244 and 255 these specimens had VL ≥1,000 copies/mL in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively. The overall genotyping rate of those DBS with VL ≥1,000 copies/mL was 93.0% (95% CI: 89.1%-95.6%) in Kenya and 91.8% (87.7%-94.6%) in Tanzania. The turnaround times for the HIVDR surveys from the time of collecting DBS to completing laboratory testing were 6.5 months and 9.3 months for the Kenya and Tanzania surveys, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The study demonstrates a favorable outcome of using DBS for nationwide surveillance of HIVDR in ART patients. Our results confirm that DBS collected and stored at ambient temperature for two weeks, and shipped with routine courier services are a reliable sample type for large-scale surveillance of acquired HIVDR

Cost and affordability of non-communicable disease screening, diagnosis and treatment in Kenya: Patient payments in the private and public sectors.

The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is rising in low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya, disproportionately to the rest of the world. Our objective was to quantify patient payments to obtain NCD screening, diagnosis, and treatment services in the public and private sector in Kenya and evaluate patients' ability to pay for the services.We collected payment data on cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, breast and cervical cancer, and respiratory diseases from Kenyatta National Hospital, the main tertiary public hospital, and the Kibera South Health Center-a public outpatient facility, and private sector practitioners and hospitals. We developed detailed treatment frameworks for each NCD and used an itemization cost approach to estimate payments. Patient affordability metrics were derived from Kenyan government surveys and national datasets. Results compare public and private costs in U.S. dollars. NCD screening costs ranged from $4 to$36, while diagnostic procedures, particularly for breast and cervical cancer, were substantially more expensive. Annual hypertension medication costs ranged from $26 to$234 and $418 to$987 in public and private facilities, respectively. Stroke admissions ($1,874 versus$16,711) and dialysis for chronic kidney disease ($5,338 versus$11,024) were among the most expensive treatments. Cervical and breast cancer treatment cost for stage III (curative approach) was about $1,500 in public facilities and more than$7,500 in the private facilities. A large proportion of Kenyans aged 15 to 49 years do not have health insurance, which makes NCD services unaffordable for most people given the overall high cost of services relative to income (average household expenditure per adult is $413 per annum).There is substantial variation in patient costs between the public and private sectors. Most NCD diagnosis and treatment costs, even in the public sector, represent a substantial economic burden that can result in catastrophic expenditures

Patient costs of managing complications of hypertension and diabetes (2017 US dollars).

<p>Patient costs of managing complications of hypertension and diabetes (2017 US dollars).</p

Patient costs for hypertension, diabetes, asthma and COPD management (2017 US dollars).

<p>Patient costs for hypertension, diabetes, asthma and COPD management (2017 US dollars).</p