Estimating the burden of malaria in Senegal : Bayesian zero-inflated binomial geostatistical modeling of the MIS 2008 data

The Research Center for Human Development in Dakar (CRDH) with the technical assistance of ICF Macro and the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) conducted in 2008/2009 the Senegal Malaria Indicator Survey (SMIS), the first nationally representative household survey collecting parasitological data and malaria-related indicators. In this paper, we present spatially explicit parasitaemia risk estimates and number of infected children below 5 years. Geostatistical Zero-Inflated Binomial models (ZIB) were developed to take into account the large number of zero-prevalence survey locations (70%) in the data. Bayesian variable selection methods were incorporated within a geostatistical framework in order to choose the best set of environmental and climatic covariates associated with the parasitaemia risk. Model validation confirmed that the ZIB model had a better predictive ability than the standard Binomial analogue. Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods were used for inference. Several insecticide treated nets (ITN) coverage indicators were calculated to assess the effectiveness of interventions. After adjusting for climatic and socio-economic factors, the presence of at least one ITN per every two household members and living in urban areas reduced the odds of parasitaemia by 86% and 81% respectively. Posterior estimates of the ORs related to the wealth index show a decreasing trend with the quintiles. Infection odds appear to be increasing with age. The population-adjusted prevalence ranges from 0.12% in Thille-Boubacar to 13.1% in Dabo. Tambacounda has the highest population-adjusted predicted prevalence (8.08%) whereas the region with the highest estimated number of infected children under the age of 5 years is Kolda (13940). The contemporary map and estimates of malaria burden identify the priority areas for future control interventions and provide baseline information for monitoring and evaluation. Zero-Inflated formulations are more appropriate in modeling sparse geostatistical survey data, expected to arise more frequently as malaria research is focused on eliminatio

Pour une agriculture intelligente face au changement climatique au Sénégal: Recueil de bonnes pratiques d'adaptation et d'atténuation

Climate change is at the present time a new threat which leads to increased frequency and intensity of floods, droughts and cyclones with rising sea levels; thus placing additional demands on a situation already critical in rural areas. In Senegal, as in many countries of the Sahel, those natural phenomena result in a significant drop in harvests, water shortages and worsening health crisis which leads to consequences such as growing food insecurity of the population; thus threatening the progress achieved in regards with the fight against poverty during the last century. Indeed, many farmers live in rural areas which are characterized as low rainfall, saline soils, fragile or degraded soils and limited market access areas. The poverty in which they live, especially those of women, is often worsened by social exclusion. Such farmers are vulnerable because they depend directly on rainfall and seasons. They have little savings while supports from the government or their local authorities remain inadequate. It is essential to strengthen the adaptive capacity of vulnerable countries and communities to cope with the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food security. This document is the result of a multi-criteria analysis of experiences of tackling climate variability, drought and desertification, and land degradation on one hand, and Adaptation to Climate Change in Senegal on the other. It is carried out on the initiative of the national platform for science-policy dialogue on adaptation of agriculture and food security to climate change (C-CASA) for capacity building and informed decision making for adaptation to climate change. This work has received technical and financial support from CCAFS Program (www.ccafs.cgiar.org). It is intended for the use of field workers in the area of adaptation to climate change. It also serves as technologies and tools guide to adapt to climate change impacts in the area of agriculture and food security. The manual is based primarily on (1) both the institutional and peasant experiences of the actors; (2) the recommendations of the reports of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); (3) the procedures manual for assessing climate change impacts and adaptation strategies; (4) the results of development projects and applied research. This is a collection that comes as a complement to other initiatives in the country and ongoing operations which provide practical examples of using the technological options for successful implementation of projects and programs and for the definition of agricultural policies in the Sahel

Le reboisement au Sénégal : bilan des réalisations de 1993 à 1998

La production de plants au Sénégal, toutes espèces confondues, a régressé de 46% entre 1993 et 1998 et reste dominée par les espèces forestières (77% des productions). Les espèces exotiques à croissance rapide sont les plus demandées par les populations locales. Durant cette période, le taux annuel de reboisement est évalué à 13 679 ha. Ce taux est nettement inférieur au taux de déboisement estimé à 50 000 ha/an. Les plantations massives représentent l'essentiel des réalisations de ces dernières années et concernent essentiellement les plantations villageoises et communautaires. L'effort national de reboisement est en baisse constante et les superficies plantées ont diminué de 38%. Cette situation est en grande partie liée à la récession économique et à la régression de près de 60% des réalisations des projets de développement forestier qui assurent plus de 58% des superficies plantées. La situation actuelle du secteur forestier découles de contraintes d'ordre économique, méthodoloqique, technique et institutionnelle qui sont discutées dans cette étude. (Résumé d'auteur

The commodity systems of four indigenous leafy vegetables in Senegal

Increasing the production of traditional leafy vegetables that are well adapted to the agro-ecology of Senegal, easy to grow and requiring low inputs, could greatly help to solve the poverty and malnutrition problems in Senegal. However, leafy vegetables are often overlooked by the scientific community. The species of leafy vegetables dealt with in this paper are roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp), amaranths (Amaranthus L. spp.) and Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam). To increase production of traditional leafy vegetables, access to good quality seeds is necessary. Two plantcollecting missions were undertaken throughout Senegal by a multidisciplinary research team. Experimentation on Hibiscus regeneration and characterisation was conducted at ISRA-CDH research station. Sixty-four accessions were collected among the four species. Forty-eight accessions of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) were characterised. The level of dissimilarity (63%) within the accessions of roselle confirmed the high degree of intra-species variability. The Richness Index determined for the Diaobe and Matam markets indicated a high degree of genetic diversity of roselle. These are used to select three new lines according to farmers’ preference criteria.In addition, socio-economic surveys were conducted in two pilot villages. It was found that planting dates for leafy vegetables varied greatly, depending on species, locality and season. Sowing was mainly done broadcast. Organic fertilisers were commonly applied. Eighty per cent (80%) of the farmers applied an NPK formulation and small quantities of urea. Traditional irrigation methods are often used in the growing of traditional leafy vegetables. The seeds used by farmers were a mixture of varieties. Farmers identified four types of each of roselle, amaranth and cowpea, but could not differentiate any variety for Moringa. Local markets constitute the main roselle seed supply source. Few farmers have developed traditional methods of seed conservation. Selling of seed is not a common activity in rural areas. Generally, farmers exchange gratuitously theirs seeds. Leaves are commonly sold at the field, in the village, in the nearest city and weekly at local markets called ’Louma‘. Average annual income generated by leaves varies from 41 to 500 USD. Leafy vegetables are used as food and for medicinal purposes. Leafy vegetable consumption in Senegal is around 23 g/person·d.Keywords: leafy vegetables, production, species, seed and genetic diversit

Epidemiology of snakebites in Kedougou region (eastern Senegal) : comparison of various methods for assessment of incidence and mortality

Background: Although considered a public health issue in Senegal, the actual incidence and mortality from snakebite are not known. In the present study, an epidemiological survey was carried out in Kedougou region, southeastern Senegal, where envenomations, particularly by Echisocellatus, are frequent and severe. Methods: Three sources of data were used: records from health centers and reports by health professionals; traditional healers; and household surveys. Results: The annual incidence and mortality provided by health centers were 24.4 envenomations and 0.24 deaths per 100,000 population, respectively. The annual incidence recorded by traditional healers was 250 bites per 100,000 inhabitants, but the number of deaths was unknown. Finally, the household surveys reported an annual incidence of 92.8 bites per 100,000 inhabitants and an annual mortality rate of 2.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The differences in incidence and mortality between the different methods were explained by significant bias, resulting in particular from the complex patient's healthcare-seeking behavior. The incidence provided by health records should be used to specify the immediate quantitative requirements of antivenoms and places where they should be available first. Conclusion: Mandatory reporting of cases would improve the management of envenomation by simplifying epidemiological surveys. Patients' preference for traditional medicine should prompt health authorities to urge traditional healers to refer patients to health centers according to defined clinical criteria (mainly edema and bleeding or neurotoxic symptoms). Finally, household surveys were likely to reflect the actual epidemiological situation. Poison Control Center of Senegal should continue its work to sensitize stakeholders and train health staff

Options de Modèles d’Affaires pour Assurer la Durabilité de l’Utilisation des Services d’Information Climatique au Sénégal

USAID/CINSERE (Services d’information climatiques pour améliorer la résilience et la productivité au Sénégal) est un projet de résilience qui vise à renforcer les capacités nationales pour la production, l’accès et la diffusion efficiente d’informations météorologiques et climatiques (IC) et de développer des stratégies pour une mise à l’échelle durable de l’utilisation des services d’information météorologiques et climatiques (SIC) sur toute l’étendue du territoire national. Le projet est financé par l’USAID et mis en œuvre par le Programme de Recherche du CGIAR sur le Changement Climatique, l’Agriculture et la Sécurité Alimentaire hébergé par ICRISAT (CCAFS/ICRISAT) en collaboration avec l’ANACIM. La zone d’intervention du projet est celle des projets Feed the Future (FtF) au Sénégal, notamment Naatal Mbay (clôturé en 2019), Yaajeende (remplacé par Kawolor en 2018), ERA (remplacé par Youth in Agriculture en 2018) et COMFISH (remplacé par Dekkal Geej en 2019). Démarré en Mai 2016 pour une durée de trois ans (Jusqu’en mai 2019), le projet a bénéficié d’une extension d’un an. Ainsi, cette première phase de l’USAID/CINSERE prend fin en avril 2020. Durant presque quatre années de mise en œuvre, des résultats assez probants ont été atteints tant dans la production des SIC, la communication et l’utilisation de ces SIC, que dans le renforcement des capacités des bénéficiaires à utiliser de façon efficiente ces SIC. Dans le souci de préserver les acquis du projet et d’assurer une mise à l’échelle soutenue du système de développement et de fourniture des IC en vue d’une utilisation durable des IC au Sénégal, l’USAID a recommandé l’identification, le test, la validation et la mise en œuvre de modèles économiques viables impliquant des partenaires aussi bien du public que du privé (PPP). Le projet USAID/CINSERE s’est donc inspiré des expériences et leçons apprises au Sénégal, au Ghana, au Mali, en Inde et en Amérique Latine (Colombie) en matière de modèles économiques dans la fourniture des SIC pour bâtir des modèles adaptés au contexte du Sénégal. Ce document présente les modèles identifiés ainsi que les défis et perspectives

Predictive factors of malunion and nonunion at the Aristide le Dantec hospital

Background: Malunion and nonunion are late complications that can occur during the fracture healing process. The aim of this study was to determine the predictive factors for malunion and nonunion Methods: This was a retrospective study over a period of 43 months. Predictive factors were sought from patient, fracture and initial management data Results: We recorded 72 consolidation disorders in 69 patients. malunion accounted for 54.1% and nonunion for 45.9%. The study population was divided as follows: 53 men and 16 women. The average age was 37.8 years. The patients lived in urban areas in 81.2% of cases. Comorbidities were present in 14.5%. The circumstances of fracture occurrence were dominated by traffic accidents, especially for 39 patients. The initial fracture was closed in 91.3%. Long bones were involved in 97.2% of cases, with a diaphyseal location in 52.8%. The fracture was simple in 79.1%, with 84.7% of the fractures being transverse. The tibia was the bone most affected by malunion (53.8%). Nonunion occurred in the humerus, femur and tibia in 27.3% each. Initial treatment was undertaken in 91.3% of patients. Conclusions: Malunion and nonunion are a reality in our daily practice. These consolidation problems occur in young patients who are victims of road traffic accidents. Diaphyseal fractures of long bones with a transverse line have been the most frequently incriminated. conservative treatment and traditional practice have favoured the development of these complications

Situation de référence de la phytodiversité et la productivité herbacée d’un dispositif de suivi du feu de brousse au Niger

Cette étude entre dans le cadre de la mise en place d’un dispositif de suivi des impacts des feux dans la Réserve Totale de Faune de Tamou contiguë au Parc Régional du W. Pour cela, la phytomasse a été prélevée par la méthode de la récolte intégrale et les relevés phytosociologiques ont été faits suivant l’approche Braun-Blanquet. L’Analyse Factorielle des Correspondances (AFC) a été appliquée à une matrice relevés X espècespour l’individualisation des groupements à l’aide du logiciel CANOCO 5.1. Pour l’interprétation écologique des résultats, une Analyse Canonique des Correspondances (ACC) a été réalisée sur la matrice relevés X variables environnementales. Au total, 107 espèces ont été recensées dont 37 ligneuses et 70 herbacées, reparties dans 80 genres et 39 familles. L’AFC a mis en évidence 7 groupements suivant un gradient nord-sud. Quatre (4) de ces groupements sont des faciès de savanes arborées +/- arbustives, localisées dans la partie sud de la station expérimentale et les trois (3) autres, situés au nord sont des savanes herbeuses. Par ailleurs,l’analyse de la diversité alpha au sein de ces différents faciès végétaux a fait ressortir un gradient d’augmentation de la phytodiversité selon le type de faciès. Quant à la productivité herbacée, elle varie dans le sens inverse.Mots clés: Savane ; productivité herbacée, phytodiversité, feux de brousse, Réserve Totale de Faune de Tamou, Niger