Exploring the future impacts of urbanization and climate change on groundwater in Arusha, Tanzania

This research article published by Taylor & Francis Online, 2020We combine satellite imagery, urban growth modelling, groundwater modelling and hydrogeological field expeditions to estimate the potential impacts in 2050 of rapid urbanization and climate change on groundwater in Arusha, Tanzania, and by extension similar areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our analysis suggests that a reduction of groundwater recharge by 30–44% will cause groundwater levels to drop by up to 75 m, mainly due to increased evapotranspiration and to an expansion in paved surface. If this scenario becomes reality, we predict that wells will run dry, creating health, social and environmental risks

Household possession, use and non-use of treated or untreated mosquito nets in two ecologically diverse regions of Nigeria – Niger Delta and Sahel Savannah

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current use of treated mosquito nets for the prevention of malaria falls short of what is expected in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), though research within the continent has indicated that the use of these commodities can reduce malaria morbidity by 50% and malaria mortality by 20%. Governments in sub-Sahara Africa are investing substantially in scaling-up treated mosquito net coverage for impact. However, certain significant factors still prevent the use of the treated mosquito nets, even among those who possess them. This survey examines household ownership as well as use and non-use of treated mosquito nets in Sahel Savannah and Niger Delta regions of Nigeria.</p> <p>Methodology</p> <p>This survey employed cross-sectional survey to collect data from households on coverage and use of mosquito nets, whether treated or not. Fever episodes in previous two weeks among children under the age of five were also recorded. The study took place in August 1 – 14 2007, just five months after the March distribution of treated mosquito nets, coinciding with the second raining period of the year and a time of high malaria transmission during the wet season. EPI INFO version 2003 was used in data analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The survey covered 439 households with 2,521 persons including 739 under-fives, 585 women in reproductive age and 78 pregnant women in Niger Delta Region and Sahel Savannah Region. Of the 439 HHs, 232 had any mosquito nets. Significantly higher proportion of households in the Niger Delta Region had any treated or untreated mosquito nets than those in the Sahel Savannah Region. In the Niger Delta Region, the proportion of under-fives that had slept under treated nets the night before the survey exceeded those that slept under treated nets in the Sahel Savannah Region. Children under the age of five years in the Niger Delta Region were four times more likely to sleep under treated nets than those in the Sahel Savannah Region.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study found that despite the fact that treated nets were distributed widely across Nigeria, the use of this commodity was still very low in the Sahel Savannah region. Future campaigns should include more purposeful social and health education on the importance and advantages of the use of treated nets to save lives in the Sahel Savannah region of Nigeria.</p

Uganda's experience in Ebola virus disease outbreak preparedness, 2018-2019.

BACKGROUND: Since the declaration of the 10th Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in DRC on 1st Aug 2018, several neighboring countries have been developing and implementing preparedness efforts to prevent EVD cross-border transmission to enable timely detection, investigation, and response in the event of a confirmed EVD outbreak in the country. We describe Uganda's experience in EVD preparedness. RESULTS: On 4 August 2018, the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) activated the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and the National Task Force (NTF) for public health emergencies to plan, guide, and coordinate EVD preparedness in the country. The NTF selected an Incident Management Team (IMT), constituting a National Rapid Response Team (NRRT) that supported activation of the District Task Forces (DTFs) and District Rapid Response Teams (DRRTs) that jointly assessed levels of preparedness in 30 designated high-risk districts representing category 1 (20 districts) and category 2 (10 districts). The MoH, with technical guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), led EVD preparedness activities and worked together with other ministries and partner organisations to enhance community-based surveillance systems, develop and disseminate risk communication messages, engage communities, reinforce EVD screening and infection prevention measures at Points of Entry (PoEs) and in high-risk health facilities, construct and equip EVD isolation and treatment units, and establish coordination and procurement mechanisms. CONCLUSION: As of 31 May 2019, there was no confirmed case of EVD as Uganda has continued to make significant and verifiable progress in EVD preparedness. There is a need to sustain these efforts, not only in EVD preparedness but also across the entire spectrum of a multi-hazard framework. These efforts strengthen country capacity and compel the country to avail resources for preparedness and management of incidents at the source while effectively cutting costs of using a "fire-fighting" approach during public health emergencies

Convergences and Conflicts in a Comparison of Lwo Marriage Tradition and Contemporary Catholic Understanding of Marriage

This dissertation examined the convergences and conflicts in a comparison of Lwo marriage tradition and contemporary Catholic understanding of marriage. The emphasis of this dissertation is that the issue that most separates the Lwo from Catholic teachings, is marriage. Lwo marriage traditions and Catholic marriage practices force Lwo couples to choose between their heritage and their Catholic faith. This dissertation, therefore, explores and defines whether and which Lwo marriage traditions can be inculturated with Catholic marriage practices. But, true inculturation demands that both cultures are flexible and open to change. The objective of this study, therefore, is to identify and build common ground so that the Lwo can eventually express their Catholic faith without sacrificing their valuable cultural traditions. Likewise, the Catholic Church can shape its practices to accommodate Lwo traditions without damaging its religious obligations. This can only be accomplished by defining what can be accepted and encouraged in their respective marriage traditions. The Church has not completely convinced the Lwo on many dimensions and issues of marriage. That implication is obvious from the simple fact that most Lwo Catholics are considered by the Church to be living in sin because their marriages fall short of the standards set by the Church, or due to some other technical deviation from Catholic teachings. The end result is that many Lwo Catholics have been barred from Holy Communion because their marriages do not conform to the requirements of the Church. The study recommended that inculturating Catholicism, and especially its understanding of marriage, is mandatory and critically important for the religious progress of the Lwo people. Obviously, that is a huge task. The primary challenge facing the Catholic Church is attempting to make its views understood without being perceived as judgmental of the Lwo ways. This requires truly understanding and analyzing the Lwo culture. The issue is one of balance between Lwo and Catholic traditions, a balance that begins with an appreciation for the foundations of Lwo thinking. Most importantly, it will take a lot of time to gradually alter the Lwo perception of the Church

Conflict Memory, the Ugandan perspective

Uganda is a country that has experienced internal conflicts since the time of colonization in 1800s by the British, and more so after the independence in 1962. The British used the divide and rule approach, as well as indirect rule which created much suspicions and stereotypes among the people. The country is composed of over sixty different ethnic groups who are still settled in their own ancestral land. Almost every group has suffered and was hurt during the different conflicts: Kabaka palace invasion, Amin brutal regime, Obote II massacres in Luwero, Revenge Killings in West Nile, and the over 20 years of conflict in northern Uganda. These conflicts have created a big challenge of establishing a strong sense of Ugandan identity, instead of the tribal ones which are still felt greatly. As time passes by, many people, and especially the politicians tend to exploit these bad memories by telling different stories about the conflicts, so as to suit their own agenda. The questions are: who should control the memory? How can these memories be documented without doing further damage to the fragile peace and unity of the nation

A study of the degree of Pollution in Nakivubo Channel, Kampala, Uganda

Nakivubo channel traverses highly populated Kampala slums, markets, industrial areas and a wetland. It discharges its water at Murchison bay in Lake Victoria. The degree of pollution in the channel has a direct effect on the aquatic life in the lake, the health of communities along the channel, and the cost of water treatment since its discharge point is only 2kms from the raw water intake for the city. This research investigated the degree of pollution in the channel so that appropriate purification measures may be taken either at the pollution source or in the channel before discharge to the lake. Samples were taken at four points along the channel during the wet and dry seasons. The samples were tested for pH, BOD, COD, TSS, E-Coli, EC, TN, and O-PO4. These were compared with the standards set by NEMA for waste water. It was found that there is a high degree of pollution in the channel. The wetland before the lake helps to bring down pollution levels but this should be supplemented by pretreatment before discharge into the channel. Recommendations on reduction of pollution in the channel were made

A Study of the Degree of Pollution in Nakivubo Channel, Kampala, Uganda

Nakivubo channel traverses highly populated Kampala slums, markets, industrial areas and a wetland. It discharges its water at Murchison bay in Lake Victoria. The degree of pollution in the channel has a direct effect on the aquatic life in the lake, the health of communities along the channel, and the cost of water treatment since its discharge point is only 2kms from the raw water intake for the city. This research investigated the degree of pollution in the channel so that appropriate purification measures may be taken either at the pollution source or in the channel before discharge to the lake. Samples were taken at four points along the channel during the wet and dry seasons. The samples were tested for pH, BOD, COD, TSS, E-Coli, EC, TN, and O-PO4. These were compared with the standards set by NEMA for waste water. It was found that there is a high degree of pollution in the channel. The wetland before the lake helps to bring down pollution levels but this should be supplemented by pretreatment before discharge into the channel. Recommendations on reduction of pollution in the channel were made

Imagining futures/future imaginings: creative heritage work with young people in Uganda.

Drawing on research in Uganda, we describe our project in which we invited young people to think about their lives in ways that opened up creative and hopeful imaginaries of the future. We understand future imaginary work to be a significant part of memory work. An important component in the ways we think about the past is imagining the futures it ties to. We wanted the idea of the future to be something our young participants constructed together, in dialogue and iteratively, so that the project had a sense of collaboration and shared interests. To do so we developed the idea of a touring exhibition through which multiple voices, posi- tions, understandings and values could be accommodated side by side. The article contributes to scholarly and public debates about reparations and memorialisation, particularly by show- ing the crucial role young people can play in articulating more just futures

The Epidemiologic Charateristics, Healthcare Associated and Household Transmission Dynamics of EVD Outbreak in a South-Southern City of Nigeria

On July 23, 2014, the EVD outbreak was declared in Nigeria following the confirmation of EVD in a traveller, who arrived acutely ill at the international airport in Lagos, South Western Nigeria from Liberia .The outbreak subsequently filtered to a south southern Nigeria city, by a symptomatic contact who escaped surveillance in Lagos and flew to the city, generating 527 contacts, 4 cases and 2 deaths. The cases were household and hospital contacts. Active surveillance should be promptly enforced at domestic airports and inter-state borders as soon as an outbreak is declared to contain its spread locall

The Epidemiologic Charateristics, Healthcare Associated and Household Transmission Dynamics of EVD Outbreak in a South-Southern City of Nigeria

On July 23, 2014, the EVD outbreak was declared in Nigeria following the confirmation of EVD in a traveller, who arrived acutely ill at the international airport in Lagos, South Western Nigeria from Liberia .The outbreak subsequently filtered to a south southern Nigeria city, by a symptomatic contact who escaped surveillance in Lagos and flew to the city, generating 527 contacts, 4 cases and 2 deaths. The cases were household and hospital contacts. Active surveillance should be promptly enforced at domestic airports and inter-state borders as soon as an outbreak is declared to contain its spread locall