Distribution of common bacterial blight disease under different agroecologies in Uganda

Common bacterial blight disease (CBB) causes severe yield and seed quality losses on common bean worldwide. Information about CBB distribution is important in designing effective control strategies. This disease has been managed using intergraded strategies, involving use of certified seed produced in areas of low disease pressure. Unfortunately, areas of low CBB pressure have not been mapped in Uganda. This study was conducted to determine the distribution and intensity of CBB in Uganda, in order to establish low pressure areas for multiplication of clean certified seed. A survey was conducted in farmers\u2019 fields in18 locations found in four rainfalls-based agroecology in Uganda, for two seasons of 2016. The Victoria Cresent and Mbale farmland had the highest disease intensity index (29%); followed by Central woodland savannah (21%). The Northwest farm land and South west grass farm lands had low CBB intensity index of 2.5 and 7.8%, respectively. Thus, The Northwest farm land (Arua, Amuru, Nwoya) and South west grass farm lands (Rakai, Ntungamo Lwengo and Bukomansimbi), are recommended for production of CBB free bean seeds.La maladie bact\ue9rienne commune (MBC) provoque de graves pertes de rendement et de qualit\ue9 des semences de haricot commun dans le monde entier. Les informations sur la distribution du MBC sont importantes pour la conception de strat\ue9gies de contr\uf4le efficaces. Cette maladie a \ue9t\ue9 g\ue9r\ue9e \ue0 l\u2019aide de strat\ue9gies intercal\ue9es, impliquant l\u2019utilisation de semences certifi\ue9es produites dans des zones de faible pression de la maladie. Malheureusement, les zones de faible pression du CBB n\u2019ont pas \ue9t\ue9 cartographi\ue9es en Ouganda. Cette \ue9tude a \ue9t\ue9 faite pour d\ue9terminer la distribution et l\u2019intensit\ue9 du CBB en Ouganda, afin d\u2019\ue9tablir des zones de basse pression pour la multiplication de semences certifies qui sont propres. Une enqu\ueate a \ue9t\ue9 faite dans les champs d\u2019agriculteurs dans 18 localit\ue9s situ\ue9es dans quatre agro\ue9cologies en Ouganda bas\ue9es sur les pr\ue9cipitations, pendant les deux saisons de 2016. Les terres agricoles de Victoria Cresent et de Mbale pr\ue9sentaient l\u2019indice d\u2019intensit\ue9 de maladie le plus \ue9lev\ue9 (29%); suivi de la savane bois\ue9e centrale (21%). Les terres agricoles du nord-ouest et celles du sud-ouest avaient un indice d\u2019intensit\ue9 de CBB faible de 2,5 et 7,8%, respectivement. Ainsi, les terres agricoles du Nord-Ouest (Arua, Amuru, Nwoya) et celles du Sud-Ouest (Rakai, Ntungamo Lwengo et Bukomansimbi) sont recommand\ue9es pour la production de semences de haricot exemptes de CBB

Rapid assessment of sweetpotato seed and root production and markets in Kamuli and Iganga districts, near Eastern Uganda

The International Potato Center (CIP) and National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) under the supervision of National Agricultural Research Organization are implementing a three-year project entitled, ‘Sweetpotato Genetic Advances and Innovative Seed Systems (SweetGAINS)’ funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF). The project aims to modernize the current Sweetpotato breeding systems and early generation seed production. SweetGAINS project is structured into work packages (WP1 - WP4) for effective and efficient implementation. As part of work package 4, a detailed rapid assessment of the sweetpotato seed system was conducted. The main objective of the study was to generate bench information to support the implementation of the sweetpotato system

Addressing gaps in AMR awareness in the public: an evidence-based policy brief to guide school curriculum review in Uganda

The government of Uganda, through its Ministry of Health, previously adopted curriculum review as a mechanism to respond to public health threats such as HIV/AIDS and include content in primary and secondary schools. This approach contributes to raising public awareness, a key strategy recommended by the World Health Organization to support the global response to the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This policy brief, developed for policymakers related to school curricula, aims to advocate for and support integration of AMR content in Uganda's primary and secondary level school curricula. The policy brief supports efforts by the multisectoral National AMR Subcommittee to create awareness on this issue as part of its role in facilitating the operationalization of Uganda's National Action Plan on AMR

Children's and adolescents' rising animal-source food intakes in 1990-2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the worlds child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 1519 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes. (c) 2023, The Author(s)

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.814.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.871.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.027.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.327.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.323.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.487.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.183.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.160.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generally larger in men than in women and were inversely correlated with age. Diet-attributable T2D was generally larger among urban versus rural residents and higher versus lower educated individuals, except in high-income countries, central and eastern Europe and central Asia, where burdens were larger in rural residents and in lower educated individuals. Compared with 1990, global diet-attributable T2D increased by 2.6 absolute percentage points (8.6 million more cases) in 2018, with variation in these trends by world region and dietary factor. These findings inform nutritional priorities and clinical and public health planning to improve dietary quality and reduce T2D globally. (c) 2023, The Author(s)

Assessment of Occupational Safety Concerns in Pesticide Use Among Small-Scale Farmers in Sagana, Central Highlands, Kenya

Small-scale farmers in Sagana area of central Kenya constitute a population at risk due to intensive use of pesticides in the production of mainly horticultural crops for commercial purposes. This chapter examines the main causes of pesticide hazards and risks, barriers to taking risk reduction measures and cues to adopting safety behaviour when dealing with pesticides. Data were collected by the use of interviews conducted in 2006/2007 from a sample of 140 farmers. Perception scales were developed from interview items and were ranked along a modified three-point Likert scale. Analysis of the items and scales showed that farmers had fairly high levels of perceived risk, perceived severity and perceived benefits of taking action to mitigate pesticide hazards. Results from this study showed that farmers are still susceptible to pesticide-related dangers notably due to resignation to fate, perceived high cost of purchasing protective gear and lack of adequate training in the use and handling of pesticides. Further, contrary to conventional thinking, farmers’ education had limited positive effect to safety behaviour when handling pesticides. The challenge to policy and practice towards safe use of pesticides lies in issues of farmers’ economic survivability, perceptions and attitudes, along the whole chain from pesticide procurement, storage, farm application and disposal

Letters and Viewpoints Potentials of Using Waste Burnt Clay as a Pozzolanic Material in Kenya

Samples of waste burnt clay were collected from various parts of the country to study their pozzolanic properties. The samples were ground into fine powder and taken for chemical tests. Results from the chemical tests on all the samples showed high silica content. In fact the combined percentages of Silica (SiO2), Alumina (Al2O3) and Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) was more than 70%, a requirement by the Kenyan standard for a suitable pozzolanic material. One sample from a major factory (being a large quantity) was mixed with various proportions of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and used for physical tests. Results showed compressive strengths way above the recommended for masonry cement when up to 50% OPC was replaced with burnt clay. For masonry works 50% OPC replacement with burnt clay will still give satisfactory results and reduce cost of binder by at least 20%. Discovery and Innovation Vol. 13 no. 3/4 December (2001) pp. 114-118 KEY WORDS: waste burnt clay, pozzolanic material, masonry clement, building standard

What is the appropriate antimicrobial use surveillance tool at the health facility level for Uganda and other low- and middle-income countries?

ABSTRACT: Background: An appropriate antimicrobial use (AMU) surveillance system provides critical data and evidence on which antimicrobial stewardship interventions are based. However, Uganda and most other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) lack efficient systems for monitoring AMU due to unique health system challenges. Methods: We reviewed the key tools available for AMU surveillance in health facilities. Based on our implementation experience, we present arguments on the need for country authorities to adapt a customized and standardized tool for national uses. Results: Despite ongoing efforts to set up AMU surveillance programs in Uganda, AMU data remain sparse, with most of the available data collected through antimicrobial stewardship related continuous quality improvement efforts implemented by global AMR control programs. There is variability in the interpretation of available AMU surveillance tools and a need to identify the most appropriate AMU surveillance methodologies and tools for Uganda and other LMICs. Data fields for sex and gender are incorrectly categorized and there is no tool that records pregnancy variable. Based on the past four years of practical implementation experience since the launch of the World Health Organization's Point Prevalence Survey methodology in 2018 for inpatient settings, we believe that the tool should be modified in cognizance of existing capacity and priorities in resource-constrained settings. Conclusions: The World Health Organization, regional experts, ministry of health authorities, and other stakeholders should urgently review available tools with a view to adopting a customized and standardized facility AMU surveillance methodology suitable for national-level rollout in LMICs

The potential of rapid screening methods for Schistosoma mansoni in western Kenya.

Data from 46 schools in western Kenya were used to investigate the performance of school-based questionnaires, on reported blood in stool and water-contact patterns, as indicators of the prevalence of human infection with Schistosoma mansoni. Prevalence of infection was associated with the prevalence of self-reported blood in stool, recent history of swimming and recent history of fishing. It was shown that use of a threshold of 30% of subjects reporting blood in stool would identify 42.9% of the 'high-prevalence' schools (i.e. prevalence > or = 50%) and 87.5% of the 'low-prevalence' schools (i.e. prevalence < 50%). A threshold of 25% reporting swimming would identify 57.1% and 93.7% of the high- and low-prevalence schools, respectively. Blood in stool appears to be too coarse an indicator to identify schools for mass treatment correctly. Although the use of multiple questions improved the diagnostic performance of the questionnaire in identifying the high-prevalence schools, it was unclear how questions can best be combined in other settings. However, there is a direct relationship between prevalence of S. mansoni infection and distance of the school from the lakeshore; analysis indicated that use of a threshold of 5 km from the lakeshore would correctly identify most (90%) of both the low- and high-prevalence schools. Distance to the lakeshore may therefore be used to screen schools in much of East Africa (i.e. those areas close to the Great Lakes where the infection is known to be prevalent and where much of the region's population is concentrated). In other areas of transmission, such as irrigation areas, further studies are still required